Title: Alternative Sweeteners

248 Embuscado and Patil
mentability by oral microorganisms, nonacidogenic property, and the absence of
glucan formation in in vitro rat caries studies (29). Fermentation of sugars by
oral bacteria produces acid, which has an adverse effect on the tooth enamel
below a critical pH. For a substance to be classified as nonacidogenic, the critical
pH value in humans as measured by plaque pH telemetry should be equal to or
greater than 5.7. Erythritol, like other polyols, is considered tooth-friendly (Table
6). It is not used as a substrate for lactic acid production or for plaque polysaccharide
synthesis by oral streptococci (30). The acid production of Streptococcus
mutans, a plaque-forming bacterium, in 3% solutions of erythritol or other polyols
under controlled in vitro conditions is shown in Figure 6. Erythritol and xylitol
did not support acid production by this microorganism for more than 36 hr of
incubation. The noncariogenic property of erythritol makes it an important ingredient
for tooth-friendly products (29).
Figure 6 Development of the acidity by Streptococcus mutans strains growing on a 3%
solution of erythritol or another polyol under controlled in vitro conditions. Cultures with
an initial bacteria count of 3 10 9 were incubated in test tubes at 37°C in a biological
buffering system. Acidity is expressed as total H concentration in micromoles/ml
accumulating over time period. (Reprinted with permission from Advances in Sweeteners,
Chapter 8, J Goossens and M Gonze, TH Grenby, ed., p. 164, © 1996 Aspen Publishers,
Inc.)