Lactitol

INS 966

Used as a sweetener — Codex also lists it as emulsifier, thickener.

Lactitol is a sugar alcohol about a third as sweet as sugar, used as a bulk sweetener in sugar-free confectionery and baked goods.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Lactitol by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationNot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFAPermitted, with conditions

2 food categories

no numerical limit (good manufacturing practice)

Show every food category
  • 11.4 Other sugars and syrups (e.g. xylose, maple syrup, sugar toppings) — GMP
  • 12.2.2 Seasonings and condiments — GMP
CXS 192-1995 Table Three, INS 966and 2 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07

What it is made from

Made by hydrogenating lactose, the sugar of milk. That makes it the one polyol in this list with a dairy-derived starting material, so it is not suitable for a milk-free diet even though the lactose itself is chemically transformed.

  • Not vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • May raise a kosher question
InChIKey
VQHSOMBJVWLPSR-JVCRWLNRSA-N
PubChem
CID 157355

Every name it appears under

51 recorded names. A label may use any of them.

INS number

  • 966

CAS registry number

  • 585-86-4

Other names

  • 4-beta-D-galactopyranosyl-D-glucito1
  • 4-O-(|?-Galactosyl)-D-glucitol
  • 4-O-.BETA.-D-GALACTOPYRANOSYL-D-GLUCITOL
  • 4-O-?-D-Galactopyranosyl-D-glucitol
  • 4-O-b-D-Galactopyranosyl-D-glucitol, 9CI
  • 4-O-beta-D-Galactopyranosyl-D-glucitol
  • beta-D-galactopyranosyl-(1->4)-D-glucitol
  • BLI-400
  • CAS-585-86-4
  • CCRIS 7077
  • D-Glucitol, 4-O-beta-D-galactopyranosyl-
  • D-lactitol
  • Emportal
  • Epitope ID:922721
  • Finlac dc
  • Floralac
  • HSDB 7970
  • Importal
  • Importal (TN)
  • INS NO.966
  • INS-966
  • L2B0WJF7ZY
  • Lacitol
  • Lactit
  • lactite
  • LACTITOL
  • Lactitol (NF/INN)
  • Lactitol acm 50
  • LACTITOL ANHYDROUS
  • Lactitol, analytical standard
  • lactitolum
  • lactobiosit
  • Lactosit
  • lactositol
  • Lacty (saccharide)
  • Milchen
  • Miruhen
  • Neda Lactiv Importal
  • Oponaf
  • pizensy
  • Pizensy (TN)
  • Portolac
  • VQHSOMBJVWLPSR-JVCRWLNRSA-N

Systematic names

  • (2S,3R,4R,5R)-4-(((2S,3R,4S,5R,6R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydro-2H-pyran-2-yl)oxy)hexane-1,2,3,5,6-pentaol
  • (2S,3R,4R,5R)-4-((2S,3R,4S,5R,6R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-methylol-tetrahydropyran-2-yl)oxyhexane-1,2,3,5,6-pentol
  • (2S,3R,4R,5R)-4-[(2S,3R,4S,5R,6R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-2-yl]oxyhexane-1,2,3,5,6-pentol
  • (2S,3R,4R,5R)-4-[(2S,3R,4S,5R,6R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydropyran-2-yl]oxyhexane-1,2,3,5,6-pentol
  • (2S,3R,4R,5R)-4-{[(2S,3R,4S,5R,6R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-2-yl]oxy}hexane-1,2,3,5,6-pentol
  • (2S,3R,4S,5R,6R)-2-((2R,3S,4S,5R)-4,5-dihydroxy-2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)oxolan-3-yl)oxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxane-3,4,5-triol

Hazard reference values

No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.

Evidence and how bodies read it

Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated by hand rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Sources for this page

  • gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07

Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.

Machine-readable:/api/v1/additives/lactitol.json