Food tables:
sorbitol and xylitol |
 |
 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
outer 'taste' 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
and fructose 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, xylitol and fructose intolerances 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/consumerinformation/nuttab2010/nuttab2010onlinesearchabledatabase/onlineversion.cfm?&action=nutrientFoods&category=Proximates&nutrientID=SORB |
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