xylitol

n.
A sweet white crystalline alcohol, C₅H₁₂O₅, derived from xylose and used especially as a sugar substitute in oral health products.

[XYL(OSE) + (SORB)ITOL.]

A five-carbon sugar alcohol found in some fruits and vegetables; 80-100% of the sweetness of sucrose; used in sugar-free hard sweets and gelatine gums. Apart from being of low cariogenicity, xylitol is said to have an effect in suppressing the growth of some of the bacteria associated with dental caries. See sugar alcohols; tooth-friendly sweets.

A sugar alcohol extracted from birch wood, corn cobs, and peanuts. It is used to make sugar-free sweets, such as chewing gums and mints. Xylitol does not cause dental caries, in fact it actually inhibits the growth of bacteria which cause tooth decay. Although rich in calories, xylitol may have a small advantage over sugars in calorie controlled diets because it has a lower calorie yield and is more slowly absorbed. Its slow absorption also makes it more suitable for diabetics because it produces little or no stress on the pancreas.

An alcohol formed by the reduction of l-xylulose.

xylitol	xylitol gum