Xylitol Information

Xylitol is found widely in nature, most of the fruits and vegetables that we eat on a daily basis have small amounts of xylitol. For commercial purposes xylitol comes from two sources: corncobs or trees. Even though the end resulting product is the same, the process to extract it from these two sources is not. Corncobs are our preferred source for xylitol, it is much more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Corncobs are a renewable resource and are normally waste at the end of the season. Using corncobs that take 5 months to grow as a source for xylitol is much more sustainable than using trees that take 20 years to grow as a source for xylitol. There are a number of xylitol production facilities around the world, but most of them are in China. In China most corn is harvested by hand and so at the harvest there are big piles of corncobs that need to be disposed of. To get rid of this they build xylitol production facilities. One would think that we would have an overabundance of corncobs here in America with all the corn we grow, but since we harvest with machinery the cobs are thrown back out into the field and not collected. Dupont Chemical is the only company that makes xylitol from wood. If you are purchasing xylitol that claims to be made from hardwood you are buying xylitol from Dupont Chemical. They have production facilities in China, North America and Europe. Again we want to stress that xylitol extracted from wood is the same as the same as from the other sources, xylitol from wood is the same as that extracted from corn. The only reason we think corn sourced xylitol is better is because it is much more sustainable. Why Use Xylitol: Xylitol has a delicious, sweet taste, and no unpleasant aftertaste! Xylitol has about a third the calories as table sugar, and is a healthy alternative for diabetics. Not only does it make an excellent sugar substitute, but it aids in the prevention of dental caries, and reduces plaque formation.