Title: Alternative Sweeteners

306 Mesters et al.
Figure 3 Moisture absorption of sucrose and polyols at different relative humidities
after 7 days at 25°C.
The same applies to lactitol monohydrate. This can be seen in Fig. 3. When we
look at sorbitol, we notice a high level of hygroscopicity. This means that, for
example, crisp bakery products will easily become soggy because they absorb
water from the air. Lactitol monohydrate is one of the least hygroscopic polyols
together with mannitol. This makes lactitol suitable for all applications in which
water absorption is a critical parameter, like bakery products, tablets, and panned
confection.
D. Water Activity
Water activity influences enzymatic activities, Maillard reaction, fat oxidation,
microbial stability, and texture. These elements combined influence the shelflife.
The influence of lactitol on water activity is similar to that of sucrose (on
a dry solids basis) because the molecular weight of lactitol is almost identical to
that of sucrose. Sorbitol, being a much smaller molecule, has a much larger effect
on the water activity (Fig. 4).
E. Solubility
Solubility of the ingredients is important for many products (e.g., ice cream, hardboiled
sweets). A low solubility can make production processes more difficult
(e.g., in hard-boiled sweets, most of the water will have to be evaporated because
more water will have to be added when the solubility is low). The solubility of
lactitol at lower temperatures is less than that of sucrose but still good enough
not to cause inconveniences during processing (Fig. 5). The solubility of maltitol