Food additive · Sweetener (polyol)
Isomalt
- E-number
- E953
A sugar alcohol used in sugar-free hard candy.
- Food additive
- Sugar alcohol (polyol)
- Ultra-processing marker
- Expert review pending
Concern level
A minor or very limited concern, such as being an ultra-processing marker only. The concern level sets how many points isomalt costs on a product’s receipt.
What the evidence says
-
Laxative effect in large amountsRegulatory
Large amounts can have a laxative effect; the EU requires a label statement above 10% added polyols and the US for some polyols above set intakes. [1][2]
Evidence tiers say how sure the evidence is, separately from how much it matters. About evidence tiers.
Popular products that list isomalt
10 of the 17,000 most-scanned products in the US with a GoodSwap page list isomalt.
-
Dark Chocolate Style Baking Chips Lily's · 255 g Score 52 out of 100 Okay -
Maple Almond Crunch Ratio · 10.4 oz Score 18 out of 100 Bad -
Toasted Almond Granola Ratio · 8 oz Score 37 out of 100 Poor -
Coconut Almond Granola Ratio Trio · 8 oz Score 35 out of 100 Poor -
Almond Dark Chocolate Style Bar Lily's · 3 oz Score 53 out of 100 Okay -
Vanilla Almond Crunch Ratio · 10.4 oz Score 18 out of 100 Bad -
Lemon Mint Sugar Free Herb Throat Drops Ricola · 45 ct Score 51 out of 100 Okay -
Light Ice Cream Cookies & Cream Halo Top · 1 PT/473 mL Score 21 out of 100 Poor -
Shin Green Mushroom & Fried Tofu Nonshim · 4.4 oz Score 42 out of 100 Okay -
Kirkland Moisture Shampoo Kirkland Signature · 1 L Score 97 out of 100 Excellent
Diets and allergens
- Vegan
- Yes
- Vegetarian
- Yes
- Gluten-free
- Yes
For the ingredient in general. Always check the package: a product’s own labels win.
Names GoodSwap recognizes on labels (5)
- e953
- isomalt
- sweetener isomalt
- sweeteners isomalt
- glazing agent isomalt
Sources
-
Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex III point 2.4 (foods with more than 10 % added polyols)
“‘excessive consumption may produce laxative effects’.”
eur-lex.europa.eu