Isomalt and sorbitol in chocolate: breath hydrogen in people
What it found
In 10 healthy young adults, chocolate with isomalt or sorbitol raised breath hydrogen more than chocolate with sucrose.
Sorbitol produced about twice the breath hydrogen of isomalt over 6 hours.
What they found
Studies in people
Breath hydrogen rise
After eating chocolate with sorbitol or isomalt, breath hydrogen rose significantly higher than after chocolate with sucrose. The rise started at about 87 minutes for sorbitol and 96 minutes for isomalt.
Sorbitol vs isomalt
Sorbitol produced about double the mean estimated breath hydrogen over 6 hours compared with isomalt. This difference was significant.
Diarrhoea
Five subjects had loose stools after eating sorbitol chocolate, but none did after isomalt or sucrose chocolate. The authors say this difference was significant.
Other gut symptoms
The number of people reporting wind, colic, bloating and belching, or stomach ache was not significantly different after sorbitol, isomalt, sucrose or lactulose.
Lactulose comparison
Lactulose, used as a positive control, gave the highest breath hydrogen per gram of product, followed by sorbitol, then isomalt.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that isomalt has advantages over sorbitol as a bulk sweetener.
- They say that the results, together with data on intolerance, suggest that isomalt is better tolerated than sorbitol.
How it was done
The authors wanted to see how chocolate sweetened with isomalt or sorbitol affects fermentation in the colon, compared with normal sugar-containing chocolate. They note that sugar-free products are appealing for their reduced calories and low risk of dental caries, but increased fermentation may limit their use.
Ten healthy volunteers aged 19 to 21 ate 70 g chocolate bars containing 31.5 g of either sorbitol, isomalt or sucrose, plus a control meal with 13.4 g lactulose. Breath hydrogen was measured every 30 minutes for 6 hours, and symptoms were recorded for about 18 hours.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a small study of 10 young, healthy adults, so the results may not apply to other groups.
- The authors note that observed frequencies of symptoms were small and no statistical conclusions can be made about them.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of Salford, Crescent
The paper
- Title
- Breath hydrogen after ingestion of the bulk sweeteners sorbitol, isomalt and sucrose in chocolate
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Lee A, Zumbe A, Storey D (1994). Breath hydrogen after ingestion of the bulk sweeteners sorbitol, isomalt and sucrose in chocolate. The British journal of nutrition. doi:10.1079/bjn19940180Free full textPubMed 8054328DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error