Sorbitol in Rubus fruit and the sugar alcohol misconception
What it found
Ripe blackberries, raspberries and similar fruits contain little or no sorbitol, according to tests on many samples.
One blackberry sample was a rare exception.
What they found
Little sorbitol in fruit
In reality, Rubus fruits contain little sugar alcohol. Many research groups have reported zero detectable amounts in fully ripe Rubus fruit.
Rare positive samples
Only three out of 82 Rubus fruit samples had detectable sugar alcohol: cloudberry at 0.01 g/100 g, red raspberry at 0.03 g/100 g, and blackberry at 4.8 g/100 g.
Blackberry outlier
That one blackberry result was highly unusual, as 73 other blackberry samples contained no detectable sorbitol.
Other fruits compared
The review also summarises the sugar alcohol and individual sugar composition of other commonly eaten Rosaceae fruit and 24 other genera and species of fruit.
Prepared foods
Examples of non-Rosaceae fruit and prepared foods that contain sugar alcohol are included for comparison.
What the authors conclude
- They are hopeful that this review will clarify Rosaceae fruit sugar alcohol concentrations and individual sugar composition.
- They also present a brief summary of sugar alcohol and health.
How it was done
The authors say it is unclear how the misunderstanding that Rubus fruits are high in sugar alcohol began or when it started circulating in the United States.
They summarised past findings on the simple carbohydrate composition of Rubus fruit, other commonly eaten Rosaceae fruit, and 24 other genera and species of fruit. They also included examples of non-Rosaceae fruit and prepared foods that contain sugar alcohol, and a brief summary of sugar alcohol and health.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This is a summary of past findings, not a new set of tests, so it cannot show how much sorbitol is in any particular punnet of fruit.
- It cannot show what effect eating these fruits has on health.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- United States Department of Agriculture, USA
The paper
- Title
- Sorbitol, Rubus fruit, and misconception
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Lee J (2015). Sorbitol, Rubus fruit, and misconception. Food chemistry. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.06.073PubMed 25053101DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error