Xylitol

Icon Foods supplies bulk xylitol to food, beverage, confectionery and oral care manufacturers across North America. XeroSweet™ is available in three particle sizes and in engineered blends with stevia. Kosher certified, Non-GMO Project verified, and shipping from our Portland, Oregon facility.

Xylitol is the only common polyol that matches sugar's sweetness one for one. That, plus a pronounced cooling effect and genuine non-cariogenic properties, is why it dominates gum, mints and oral care while remaining useful across confectionery and frozen dessert systems.

What Is Xylitol?

Xylitol is a five-carbon sugar alcohol that occurs naturally in some berries, fruits and birch. Commercially it is produced from plant-derived xylose.

It delivers 100% the sweetness of sugar at roughly 60% of the calories. It is non-cariogenic and low-glycemic, and it is absorbed more slowly than sugar with a high digestive tolerance relative to other polyols. Its flavor carries a pronounced cooling sensation, and its sweetness is synergistic with other polyols and with high-intensity sweeteners.

XeroSweet™ Specifications

Xylitol is water soluble and soluble in most basic food grade solvents, and stable under normal conditions of use. No animal-derived ingredients are used in production, and XeroSweet™ may be labeled as a natural ingredient under U.S. FDA and FTC regulations.

Grades and Particle Sizes

Particle size drives dissolution rate, mouthfeel, and how the cooling effect presents. We stock across the range in both pure xylitol and stevia-blended systems.

Typical usage runs 5 to 100% depending on the system. The XeroSweet+™ blends pair xylitol with purified stevia extract, which lets you reduce total xylitol inclusion while holding sweetness.

Xylitol and Oral Care

Xylitol is genuinely non-cariogenic, and that is not a marketing claim. Oral bacteria cannot metabolize it the way they metabolize sucrose, so it does not feed acid production in the mouth. That is the mechanism behind its dominance in gum, mints, lozenges, toothpaste and mouthwash.

For manufacturers, three things follow. Xylitol is usually the primary bulk ingredient in these systems rather than a minor sweetener, so inclusion runs high. The cooling effect is an asset here rather than a defect, particularly in mint systems. And finer mesh grades matter more than in food applications, since compressed mints and coated products depend on particle uniformity.

XeroSweet™ Ultra at 130 to 170 mesh is the grade most often specified for compressed mint and coating work.

Formulating With Xylitol

The cooling effect

Xylitol has a high negative heat of solution, which produces a pronounced cooling sensation as it dissolves. In mints, gum and oral care this is exactly what you want. In chocolate, dairy and baked goods it usually is not, and unlike erythritol there is no lower-cooling grade to switch to.

Where cooling is a problem, maltitol is the polyol to reach for instead. It delivers similar sugar-like behavior with minimal cooling.

Sweetness parity

At 1:1 with sucrose, xylitol needs no sweetness compensation at all. That makes conversion arithmetic simple and is a real advantage over erythritol at 0.6 to 0.8 or isomalt at 0.45 to 0.65, both of which require rebuilding the sweetener system.

Digestive tolerance

Xylitol is absorbed more slowly than sugar and has a high digestive tolerance relative to other polyols. It is better tolerated than maltitol and sorbitol, though not as well as erythritol. As with any polyol, tolerance is dose-dependent and worth modeling at your intended inclusion.

No browning

Xylitol does not participate in the Maillard reaction. Where color development matters, pair it with tagatose or allulose, both of which brown readily.

Solubility and hygroscopicity

Xylitol has high solubility and low hygroscopicity, which contributes to ease of use across confections, ice cream, baked goods, jams and fruit preparations.

Applications

Gum, mints and oral care

The largest application by volume. Non-cariogenic properties and the cooling effect both work in your favor. See confectionery applications.

Confectionery

Hard candy, panned confections, chews and coatings. The standard 20 to 60 mesh grade suits panning; finer grades suit compressed formats.

Frozen desserts

Xylitol contributes freezing point depression and sweetness parity in ice cream and frozen novelties. See frozen dairy applications.

Baked goods and jams

Bulk and sweetness without browning. Low hygroscopicity helps in jams and fruit preparations. See baked goods and bars.

Supplements and nutraceuticals

Compressed tablets, chewables and powders benefit from sweetness parity and clean dissolution. See supplements.

Xylitol and Dogs: A Warning Worth Repeating

Xylitol is highly toxic to dogs. In dogs, it triggers a rapid insulin release that can cause severe hypoglycemia and liver damage, and the amounts involved are small.

This is safe for human consumption and is not a food-safety issue in the ordinary sense. But if you are formulating any product a dog might reach, or if your product will be marketed to households with pets, it is worth handling deliberately in your packaging and consumer communication. Several categories, gum and mints in particular, have had well-publicized incidents.

We mention it because it is the single most common question that comes up about xylitol, and a supplier that does not raise it is not being straight with you.

Xylitol Compared to Other Polyols

Xylitol vs. erythritol

The comparison formulators make most often. Both carry a cooling effect. Erythritol has better digestive tolerance and near-zero calories; xylitol has sweetness parity and genuine non-cariogenic properties. Erythritol is cheaper per kilogram but needs sweetness compensation, so the finished-formula comparison is closer than the raw material price suggests.

Our analysis of the benefits of erythritol and xylitol works through the differences, and our paper on erythritol, xylitol and GLP-1 hormone stimulation covers the emerging appetite-regulation research on both.

Labeling

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol and declares under Total Carbohydrate, with the sugar alcohol subline where applicable. It contributes 0 g total sugars and 0 g added sugars, and it may be labeled as a natural ingredient under U.S. FDA and FTC regulations.

Products containing significant sugar alcohol may require a laxation statement depending on inclusion level and serving size. Confirm requirements for your specific product and market with your regulatory team.

Supply and Documentation

XeroSweet™ is manufactured in China and ships from our Portland, Oregon facility, which operates under Oregon Department of Agriculture Food Safety Division establishment #88294 and is a registered FDA food manufacturing facility.

Every order includes certificate of analysis, safety data sheet, technical data sheet, country of origin statement, and allergen statement. More on sourcing and documentation.

Custom Blends

Xylitol pairs well with other polyols and with high-intensity sweeteners, and most oral care and confectionery systems end up as blends rather than single ingredients. We build those in-house and mill to your specification. See custom blends and formulation support.

Request a Sample

Tell us the application and the mesh you are considering. If the standard grade does the job we will say so rather than selling you Ultra. Samples ship in 24 to 48 hours with full documentation, and we hold no minimum order quantity.