Alternative Sweeteners

The present article systematizes the variety of possible and currently commercially available alternatives to the classic sweetener sucrose. Selected members of different groups are specifically evaluated for their sweetness, energy content and glycemic index. Additional health and environmental aspects are highlighted. Thus, the biotransformation, the environmental persistence, energy balance or the nutritional-physiological effects and/or tolerability of selected substances are discussed and explained, based on the current scientific literature. In principle, this contribution is based on a classification into 3 substance groups: sugar in a broader sense, sweeteners and sugar substitutes. Finally, a possible new production process for the sugar substitute erythritol from biogenic residues is addressed.