Sorbitol
Sorbitol (E420) is a sugar alcohol used to sweeten sugar-free gum, sweets and diabetic products. Because it is poorly absorbed it is high-FODMAP and a common trigger for IBS symptoms, and EU labels must warn that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
Sorbitol is a polyol, or sugar alcohol, manufactured by hydrogenating glucose; it also occurs naturally in apples, pears and stone fruit. It provides about 2.6 kcal per gram and does not raise blood glucose the way sugar does, which is why it appears in "sugar-free" and diabetic products.
The P in FODMAP stands for polyols, and sorbitol is one of the two that matter most. Because the small intestine absorbs it slowly and incompletely, it reaches the colon and ferments — the mechanism behind both the mandatory EU laxative warning and its effect on people with IBS.
On the label
- E-number
- E420
- INS number
- INS 420
- Functional class
- Sweetener
- Also known as
- Sorbitol syrup · E420ii · Sweetener 420 · INS 420 · Glucitol
Who this affects
Avoid
- IBS & Low-FODMAP: A polyol — the P in FODMAP — and poorly absorbed, so it commonly triggers symptoms.
Frequently asked questions
Yes — it contains no animal-derived material. It is a sugar alcohol manufactured from glucose, and also occurs naturally in some fruit. The same applies to a vegetarian diet.
Yes — the additive itself contains no gluten. A gluten-free claim belongs to the finished product, though — check the pack, not the additive.
It is a sugar alcohol manufactured from glucose, and also occurs naturally in some fruit and contains no animal-derived material, so the additive itself is not inherently non-halal. Certification applies to a finished product rather than to an additive, so a halal certification mark on the pack is the authoritative signal.
This is the additive whose side effect is written on the pack: EU law requires foods containing more than 10% added polyols to state that "excessive consumption may produce laxative effects". Sorbitol is poorly absorbed, so it draws water into the gut and ferments there — bloating, wind and diarrhoea are common above roughly 20–50 g a day, and much less in people with IBS.