Erythritol vs Stevia – Which Is Better In Baking & Taste?
Erythritol
It was discovered in 1848 by John Stenhouse, a Scottish chemist. It is produced by fermenting wheat or corn using the fungi Trichosporonoides megachliensis or Moniliella pollinis.
It is a sugar substitute that tastes and looks like sugar yet has almost no calories.
But the real reason that sugar alcohols (note – sugar alcohol is better known as a polyol and can be classified as a carbohydrate) provide fewer calories than sugar because they are not completely metabolized by your body.
This sweetener has a higher digestive tolerance compared to all other polyols due to the fact that approximately 90 percent of the ingested erythritol is excreted unchanged in the urine.
It is naturally found in fruits such as cantaloupe, pears, mushrooms, and grapes. It is also a food additive approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration.
Erythritol is not as sweet as sugar on its own (approximately 70 percent), so it’s usually combined with other artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, in beverages and foods.
Baking
It is heat-stable and can be used for cooking at home. However, when combining it with a liquid, it doesn’t dissolve as easily as sugar.
As a sweetener, it is used in numerous industries, such as – beverage, food production, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and many other industries.
Taste
It can have a definite “cooling effect.” Its aftertaste disappears quickly, giving it a fresh sweetness.
Benefits
Oral Health
Similar to other polyols, it is resistant to metabolism by oral bacteria that break down starches and sugars to produce acids that can lead to cavities formation and tooth enamel loss.
Note – dental caries is the primary chronic disease among youth aged 6 to 19 years.
According to a study done by the National Center for Health Statistics:
“Among adults aged 20-64, 91% had caries and 27% had untreated tooth decay.”
Diabetes
It has a low glycemic index and consumption of 1g/kg bodyweight does not raise blood sugar and insulin levels.
Note – in 2015, over 9% of the American population had diabetes.
Diarrhea
It does not tend to have the laxative effect, as do other sugar alcohols and sweeteners; however, it would be wise to limit consumption to no more than 50g per day.
Side Effects
Although the benefits may seem awesome, there are some great concerns over the safety of such sweeteners.
That said, according to some studies, when consumed in large quantities, some individuals are sensitive to this sweetener and other sugar alcohols and may experience:
- nausea;
- cramping;
- diarrhea;
- bloating;
- dizziness;
- headaches.
It also promotes loss of electrolytes and dehydration, creating a feeling of excessive thirst.
We recommend you eat only a small amount of this sweetener when you first try it.
That way, you can observe any negative reaction or allergy before it is serious.
Stevia
Stevia is a herb that contains compounds called glycosides (rebaudioside and stevioside), which are up to 200 times sweeter than sugar.
This plant originally came from the rain forests of Paraguay and Brazil (Moises Santiago de Bertoni first scientifically recorded this herb in 1899 as Eupatorium rebaudianum), but now you can also find this plant in Southeast Asia.
Stevia products found on the market, like Stevia in the Raw and Truvia, don’t incorporate the whole stevia leaf.
They’re actually produced from a highly refined stevia leaf extract named – Reb-A (rebaudioside A).
For instance, a packet of Truvia contains natural flavors, erythritol, along with a very small part of the stevia leaf extract.
Baking
Presently, this sweetener is used for numerous purposes – from its liquid bottle or processed powder used to sweeten soft drinks to the raw sweet leaves in Japanese teas or even at home for cooking and baking.
The Japanese are the biggest consumers of this sweetener and use it, especially on foods like soy sauce and as a replacement for saccharin and aspartame.
Taste
Even small doses of this sweetener will have a notable impact on the taste of your food. However, many people have reported having a bitter aftertaste.
Benefits
The stevia plant has numerous antioxidant compounds and sterols, such as:
- quercetin (a natural pigment that is present in many vegetables, fruits, and grains);
- kaempferol;
- caffeic acid;
- chlorogenic acid;
- isosteviol;
- isoquercitrin.
In low doses, the consumption of this sweetener appears to be associated with general anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects.
These effects have been associated with the protection of the pancreas, kidneys, brain, and liver.
According to a 2009 study by the Department of Foods and Nutrition, Rajasthan, India, it increases HDL (good) cholesterol and lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol.
In addition, as it contains inflammatory and antibacterial compounds, it prevents the colonization of harmful bacteria in the mouth and around the gums, hence, stopping the formation of plaque and cavities.
Moreover, it is considered to be a remarkable healing agent for a few skin conditions.
Side Effects
Stevioside, the main active ingredient in this sweetener, appears completely harmless, however, in the guts of rats, intestinal bacteria transformed this compound into something called steviol, which is toxic, causing a huge spike in mutagenic DNA damage.
Some studies also suggest that some of the substances contained in this sweetener might lower glycemia and could interfere with diabetics’ prescription medications.
More importantly, for children, the long-term effects of consuming foods and drinks containing this sweetener are unknown, thus, it is recommended for kids to avoid them as much as possible.
Erythritol vs Stevia – Final Thoughts
Erythritol measures cup for cup for table sugar but is only about 70 percent as sweet as sugar. This is why combining erythritol with stevia is a great choice and very sweet. For example, just 1/16 tsp will sweeten a cup of coffee.
However, while erythritol and stevia have a few side effects, the threat grows when they are combined with artificial sweeteners like aspartame.
Nevertheless, my final decision is that they’re not worth it for me. Ideally, we should be looking to eat natural, whole foods to provide our bodies with the necessary nutrients.
Note
It turns out, according to a study by Huffington Post, real sugar tastes better than any sweetener. It also appears that people hate these two sweeteners due to their “artificial taste.”
READ THIS NEXT:
25 Interesting Facts About Color Blindness
Facts About The Respiratory System
Does Eating Dates Cause Diabetes (Juvenile or Mellitus)?
Top 50 Fruits, Vegetables, Legumes, Nuts, And Seeds High In Potassium
References http://www.krepublishers.com/02-Journals/S-EM/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19961353 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8933643 http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0098949
Just a note on the “bitterness” of stevia. This is due to a low quality extraction process. The poor extraction process leaves other leaf compounds that cause the bitter after taste. We used a cheaper stevia in our house and yes, adding more than a small amount left the after taste you described.
When we learned about the difference in taste being dependent on quality, we shifted to a higher quality extract and the bitter aftertaste went away. Yes it costs more, but we also don’t have to use as much as the lower quality stevia.
It’s my belief that some of the brands like truvia use the erythritrol or other sweetener to cover up the fact they use a really low grade stevia extraction process
What higher quality product do you buy? I bought Pyure. The ingredients are Organic Erythritol, Organic Stevia Leaf Extract, Natural Flavor. I still taste the bitterness. Thank you.