ANSWER
Table 1.0: The Heat of Solution, Solubility of Polyols at 20°C and their Taste
| Carbohydrate | Heat of Solution (J/g) | Solubility (g/100g solution @ 20°C | Other Taste Observed |
| Erythritol | -182 | 40 | Cooling sensation |
| Xylitol | -153 | 63 | Intense cooling sensation |
| Mannitol | -121 | 20 | Cooling effect |
| Sorbitol | -111 | 75 | Cooling effect |
| Lactitol | -53 | 56 | Cooling effect slightly stronger than sucrose |
| Isomalt | -39 | 24.5 | Mask bitter metallic after taste of other sweeteners,
No cooling effect |
| Maltitol | -23 | 63 | Low cooling effect similar to sucrose |
| Hydrogenated Starch Hydrosylate (HSH) | – | – | Blend well with flavours, mask unpleasant off-flavours |
| Sucrose | -18 | 66.7 | – |
(Spillane, 2006; Kearsley & Boghani, 2011; O’Donnell & Kearsley, 2012).
The intensity of the cooling effect depends on the magnitude of the heat of solution. The higher negative heat of solution meaning the more intense of cooling effect is experienced when the polyol is dissolves in the mouth. This is due to the substance absorbs more energy from its environment when it dissolves as there is a quantifiable drop in the surrounding temperature (O’Donnell & Kearsley, 2012).
The perceived cooling effect is the result of the combination of its negative heat of solution and solubility, as solubility is a major factor in the onset and the perception of cooling effect (O’Donnell & Kearsley, 2012). However, such cooling effect can be observed just when the heat of solution is lower than -84 J/g (de Cock, 2012). Furthermore, the nature cooling sensation caused by the heat of solution by crystal dissolve is very diverse to the astringent cooling from cooling agents such as menthol (O’Donnell & Kearsley, 2012).
Erythritol has the lowest heat of solution and yet it is not perceived as having as intense cooling effect as xylitol. This is due to its lower water solubility as compared to xylitol (Spillane, 2006). Xylitol has a high solubility on top of its negative heat of solution to give noteworthy perception of cooling upon consumption, which makes it to have a clear taste advantage over sugar and other polyol sweeteners in numerous applications (O’Donnell & Kearsley, 2012). For such, xylitol often used to improve and counterpart mint flavour or providing products with refreshing cooling sensation (Melton, Shahidi & Varelis, 2019).
The cooling effect of xylitol is nearly 40% greater than sorbitol owing to its nature properties of heat of solution and its extent of solubility. In practice, sorbitol has greater cooling effect than mannitol due to lower water solubility in mannitol (O’Donnell & Kearsley, 2012).
The low solubility of mannitol lessens its cooling effect that usually found in mint confectionery although it has higher heat of solution than most of the sugar alcohols. However, mannitol induces a considerably stronger cooling effect than sorbitol when it is completely dissolved in a product (Godswill, 2017). The cooling effect of lactitol is slightly greater than sucrose, while maltitol, isomalt, HSG and HSH have trivial cooling effects (Spillane, 2006).
References
de Cock, P. (2012). Erythritol. In: O’ Brien-Nabors, L. (Ed.) Alternative sweeteners. Boca Raton, USA: CRC Press.
Godswill, A. (2017). Sugar Alcohols: Chemistry, Production, Health Concerns and Nutritional Importance of Mannitol, Sorbitol, Xylitol, and Erythritol. International Journal Of Advanced Academic Research, 3, 2488-9849.
Kearsley, M., & Boghani, N. (2011). Maltitol. In: O’ Brien-Nabors, L. (Ed.) Alternative sweeteners. Boca Raton, USA: CRC Press.
Melton, L., Shahidi, F., & Varelis, P. (2019). Encyclopedia of food chemistry (1st ed., p. 272). United States: Oliver Walter.
O’Donnell, K., & Kearsley, M. (2012). Sweeteners and sugar alternatives in food technology. Oxford: Wiley – Blackwell.
Spillane, W. (2006). Optimising sweet taste in foods. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
