What Foods Contain Sorbitol?

Unfortunately, I have a sorbitol intolerance and would like to know which foods contain sorbitol? Does it ALWAYS have to be identified by name or E-number or can it be hidden under other terms?

Sorbitol is a sugar substitute that must be labeled “sweetener sorbitol” or “sweetener E 420” in the list of ingredients.

Other derivatives of sorbitol are:

• E432 Polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate (polysorbate 20)
• E433 Polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate (polysorbate 80)
• E434 Polyoxyethylene sorbitan monopalmitate (polysorbate 40)
• E435 Polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate (polysorbate 60)
• E436 Polyoxyethylene sorbitan tristearate (polysorbate 65)
• E491 sorbitan monostearate
• E492 sorbitan tristearate
• E493 sorbitan monolaurate
• E494 sorbitan monooleate
• E495 sorbitan monopalmitate

In healthy people, sorbitol is absorbed into the blood through the intestinal wall and then broken down in the liver. If this absorption in the intestine is disturbed or only partially possible, symptoms such as diarrhea, flatulence or abdominal cramps can occur. The tolerable amount varies greatly from person to person and has to be tested little by little.

Large amounts of sorbitol cause diarrhea even in healthy people. Therefore, foods in which the proportion of sorbitol (and other sugar substitutes) is more than ten percent of the total product must carry the warning “Excessive consumption can have a laxative effect” on the packaging.

The food industry uses sorbitol not only as a sweetener, but also, for example, as a humectant or in ice cream to lower the freezing point. But this can be seen in the list of ingredients.

Sorbitol is also found naturally in some types of fruit. If these varieties are processed in food, the sorbitol does not have to be declared on the packaging.

Dried fruits, plums, peaches and pears are high in sorbitol, while apples and grapes are medium in sorbitol and berries are low in sorbitol.

In the case of hypersensitivity to sorbitol, it is often necessary to avoid other sugar substitutes such as mannitol E 421, lactitol E 966, isomalt E 953, xylitol E 967, maltitol E 965, polyglycitol syrup E 964 and erythritol E 968.

These sugar substitutes are also found naturally in fruits and vegetables (e.g. mushrooms).

Overviews of which types of fruit and vegetables contain which amounts of sorbitol can be found on the Internet or in bookstores.