Maltitol (MTL)

Maltitol is a disaccharide produced by Corn Products Specialty Ingredients (formerly SPI Polyols), Cargill, Roquette, and Mitsubishi Shoji Foodtech, among other companies. Maltitol is made by hydrogenation of maltose obtained from starch. Maltitol syrup, a hydrogenated starch hydrolysate, is likewise made by the hydrogenation of a mixture of carbohydrates hydrolyzed from starch; this product is "50-80% maltitol by weight, with the remainder being predominantly sorbitol and a small number of other sugar-related substances." Maltitol's high sweetness allows it to be used without being mixed with other sweeteners, and exhibits negligible cooling effect (positive heat of solution) in comparison with other sugar alcohols, and is very similar to the subtle cooling effect of sucrose. It is used especially in production of sweets: sugarless hard candies, chewing gum, chocolates, baked goods, and ice cream.