ABSTRACT
Introduction Erythritol is a unique member of the polyol family. Polyols or polyhydric alcohols are polyhydroxyl compounds typically produced through the hydrogenation of their parent reducing sugars. ese compounds do not have an aldehyde group, therefore, they do not undergo a Maillard reaction and are relatively stable to heat and changes in pH. Erythritol is a small linear sugar alcohol with four carbon atoms (Figure 15.1). It belongs to the acyclic alcohols, a group of sugar alcohols. Its small molecular size gives erythritol its extraordinary physicochemical, nutritional, and physiological
*Milda E. Embuscado and Sakharam K. Patil did not participate in the revision but their chapter in the book's 3rd edition was the basis of this revised chapter.
