Food tables: sorbitol |
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 Sorbitol is commonly used as a sweetener in reduced calorie food or drink (i.e. ‘diet’ or ‘light’), but also occurs naturally. Sorbitol may be listed as E420 on food labels. Doses greater than 5g cause intestinal symptoms and diarrhea in a significant proportion of individuals. In case of proven sorbitol intolerance the following food and products may cause symptoms.
- Diet / ‘light’ and diabetic drinks, sugar-free chewing gum and sweets / candies. One stick of sugar-free chewing gum generally contains 1 – 2g sorbitol. The sorbitol is often contained in the coating around the gum.
- Fruit: dried fruit and stone fruit: apple, apricot, date, fig, nectarine, peach, plum, and raisin.
- Beer may be a problem in large amounts.
- Isomalt and lycasin, alternative sweeteners that are predominantly used in confectionary, contain sorbitol.
- Some medicines contain sorbitol as bulking agents or to improve taste, e.g. mouth washes, cough syrups and laxatives.
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Sorbitol content in gram / 100g product |
| Sweets / candies for diabetics |
35 - 95 |
| Pear, dried |
10 |
| Jams / marmalades for diabetics with sorbitol |
8 - 10 |
| Plums, dried |
8 |
| Rose hip |
8 |
| Peaches, dried |
5 |
| Blueberry jam |
5 |
| Apricot, dried |
5 |
| Apple, dried |
3 |
| Pear, fresh |
2 |
| Pear juice |
2 |
| Dried fruit mix |
2 |
| Plums, fresh |
2 |
| Dates |
2 |
| Plum juice |
1 - 6 |
| Peach, fresh |
1 |
| Raisin, sultanas |
1 |
| Apricot, fresh |
1 |
| Apple, fresh |
0.5 |
| Beer |
0 – 0.5 |
Xylitol (E967 is xylitol), another sugar alcohol, can produce similar intolerance symptoms as sorbitol and concurrent intolerances to both are very common. It should be avoided in case of sorbitol intolerance. Xylitol exists naturally in many fruit, mushrooms, vegetables, oats, corn and birch trees, and is used extensively in sugar-free sweets / candies, as well as chewing gum.
Reminder: Sorbitol and fructose intolerance often co-exist and sorbitol decreases fructose tolerance.
See Food tables: fructose and Food intolerances: fructose and Food intolerances: sorbitol.
Link to extensive food content list
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/monitoringandsurveillance/nuttab2006/onlineversionintroduction/onlineversion.cfm?&action=nutrientFoods&nutrientID=SORB |
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