Editing Sorbitol (section)

===Sweetener===
Sorbitol is a [[sugar substitute]], and when used in food it has the [[INS number]] and [[E number]] 420. Sorbitol is about 60% as sweet as sucrose (table sugar).<ref>[[Sugar substitute]]</ref>

Sorbitol is referred to as a nutritive sweetener because it provides some dietary energy. It is partly absorbed from the small intestine and metabolized in the body, and partly fermented in the large intestine. The fermentation produces [[short-chain fatty acid]]s, [[acetic acid]], [[propionic acid]], and [[butyric acid]], which are mostly absorbed and provide energy, but also [[carbon dioxide]], [[methane]], and [[hydrogen]] which do not provide energy. Even though the [[heat of combustion]] of sorbitol is higher than that of glucose (having two extra hydrogen atoms), the net energy contribution is between 2.5 and 3.4 [[kilocalorie]]s per [[gram]], versus the approximately 4 kilocalories (17 kilojoules) for carbohydrates.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tsuneyuki Oku and Sadako Nakamura |title=Digestion, absorption, fermentation, and metabolism of functional sugar substitutes and their available energy |journal=Pure Appl. Chem. |date=2002 |volume=74 |issue=7 |pages=1253–1261 |doi=10.1351/pac200274071253 |url=http://media.iupac.org/publications/pac/2002/pdf/7407x1253.pdf}}</ref> It is often used in [[diet food]]s (including diet drinks and ice cream), mints, [[cough syrup]]s, and sugar-free [[chewing gum]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Campbell |last2=Farrell |title=Biochemistry |publisher=Brooks/Cole |edition=Seventh |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-111-42564-7 }}</ref> Most bacteria cannot use sorbitol for energy, but it can be slowly fermented in the mouth by ''[[Streptococcus mutans]]'', a bacterium that causes [[tooth decay]].  In contrast, many other sugar alcohols such as [[isomalt]] and [[xylitol]] are considered non-acidogenic.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Hayes|first=C.|date=October 2001|title=The effect of non-cariogenic sweeteners on the prevention of dental caries: a review of the evidence|journal=Journal of Dental Education|volume=65|issue=10|pages=1106–1109|doi=10.1002/j.0022-0337.2001.65.10.tb03457.x|issn=0022-0337|pmid=11699985}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Nicolas|first1=Guillaume G.|last2=Lavoie|first2=Marc C.|date=January 2011|title=[Streptococcus mutans and oral streptococci in dental plaque]|journal=Canadian Journal of Microbiology|volume=57|issue=1|pages=1–20|doi=10.1139/w10-095|issn=1480-3275|pmid=21217792}}</ref>

It also occurs naturally in many [[drupe|stone fruit]]s and berries from trees of the genus ''[[Sorbus]]''.<ref name=Teo/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Nelson |last2=Cox |title=Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry |location=New York |publisher=W. H. Freeman |edition=Fourth |year=2005 |isbn=0-7167-4339-6 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/lehningerprincip00lehn_0 }}</ref>