Original article:
I thought all low calorie sweeteners were harmful until I found this.
- No adverse effects associated with other low and non-caloric natural and artificial sweeteners
- May have antioxidant potential
- Has 60-80% the sweetness of sugar
- Can be used in baking
- Safe for diabetics
Buy the powder since the granular form needs to be dissolved in liquid otherwise it remains granular. It is $9 a pound for powder in the US, and in Canada ranging from $8/lb (5 lb bag includes $10 shipping) (but may crystallize in liquids after a time), $12 (free shipping), or $19 per pound (free shipping) in Canada.
If using it in baking, it is a little tricky. It really really wants to re-crystallize. Be careful when putting it in things that are dry, like cookies and brownies, as it will re-crystallize as it cools. You can prevent this effect by using it in a combination of 1:8 of Thick-it-up Low Carb Thickener to erythritol (2 T per cup) for powdered form and 4 T/cup for granular form.
For higher liquid products, like icing and pies, you should be okay, but you can also grind it into a powder if it has re-crystallized in storage or if you have the granular form.
It leaves a cooling/minty effect in your mouth in some cases. Some bakers like the crunch from the re-crystallization in their products.
If using it in baking, it is a little tricky. It really really wants to re-crystallize. Be careful when putting it in things that are dry, like cookies and brownies, as it will re-crystallize as it cools. You can prevent this effect by using it in a combination of 1:8 of Thick-it-up Low Carb Thickener to erythritol (2 T per cup) for powdered form and 4 T/cup for granular form.
For higher liquid products, like icing and pies, you should be okay, but you can also grind it into a powder if it has re-crystallized in storage or if you have the granular form.
It leaves a cooling/minty effect in your mouth in some cases. Some bakers like the crunch from the re-crystallization in their products.
On a cautionary note...
Erthryitol was rejected by the EFSA in March 2013 as an additive to soft drinks because for children aged 3-9 years old (22 kg on average), drinking 650 mL of the soft drink had a laxative effect. I don't know what kind of parent would let their sub-10 year old drink the equivalent of two cans of pop a day, but I'm sure they exist.
Here is a list of harmful sweeteners:
acesulfame-K (Sweet One) - DNA damage
aspartame (Nutrasweet, Equal) - hypertension
cyclamate (Sugar Twin) - banned 39 years ago but still sold in Canada
saccharin (Sweet'N'Low) - bladder cancer
sucralose (Splenda) - migraine trigger
sorbitol, xylitol - (Extra, Eclipse, Orbit...) - laxative
We don't know whether stevia is safe. Yet. I bought stevia leaf powder, and it was horrible to use. It had a distinctive leafy green taste, and a terrible aftertaste. Not the kind of stuff I want to put in my baking or tea.
Stevia tincture is derived completely from the herb. If you can find certified organic, even better. It's what we use. No leafy taste, and according to my experience it is much sweeter than sugar. And it's not synthetic, like most sweeteners.
ReplyDeleteStevia powder is no good.
Will xanthan gum stop erythritol from recrystalixing? I have searched every where for this info and can't find anything. We don't have "thick it up" here in South Africa but we do have xantan gum and arrow root.
ReplyDeleteI would have to look that up. I have no idea.
Delete@stephpais Sadly I don't think so. I've been experimenting with making sugar free chocolate and experienced the recrystallization issue. I used the powdered erithrytol, melting over heat in cocoa butter, heating longer and higher, etc. Never did fully get the erithrytol to dissolve. Adding xantham gum only made it WORSE. It caused the crystals to clump together. I ended up blending it on high in my Vitamix, which broke everything back down again. The result was a relatively creamy mix, but there was still a very fine graininess throughout. Significantly better than my previous attempts though!
DeleteFind answer here. http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=692019
ReplyDelete