Maltitol

INS 965(i)

Used as a sweetener — Codex also lists it as bulking agent, emulsifier, humectant, stabilizer, thickener.

Maltitol is a sugar alcohol about nine tenths as sweet as sugar, which makes it the closest polyol substitute for sugar in confectionery. It is common in sugar-free chocolate.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Maltitol 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

4 food categories

no numerical limit (good manufacturing practice)

Show every food category
  • 09.2.5 Smoked, dried, fermented, and/or salted fish and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — GMP
  • 11.4 Other sugars and syrups (e.g. xylose, maple syrup, sugar toppings) — GMP
  • 12.2.2 Seasonings and condiments — GMP
  • 14.1.5 Coffee, coffee substitutes, tea, herbal infusions, and other hot cereal and grain beverages, excluding cocoa — GMP
CXS 192-1995 Table Three, INS 965(i)and 4 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07

What it is made from

Made by hydrogenating maltose, itself produced by the enzymatic breakdown of starch, normally from maize or wheat.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
InChIKey
VQHSOMBJVWLPSR-WUJBLJFYSA-N
PubChem
CID 493591

Every name it appears under

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

E number

  • E965

INS number

  • 965(i)

CAS registry number

  • 585-88-6

Other names

  • 4-O-alpha-D-Glucopyranosyl-D-glucitol
  • 4-O-alpha-delta-Glucopyranosyl-delta-glucitol
  • 5-17-07-00145 (Beilstein Handbook Reference)
  • alpha-D-Glc-(1->4)-D-Glc-ol
  • alpha-D-Glcp-(1->4)-D-Glc-ol
  • alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-(1->4)-D-glucitol
  • alpha-D-glucosyl-(1->4)-D-glucitol
  • Amalty
  • Amalty MR 100
  • BRN 0089983
  • Cerestar 16303
  • D-4-O-alpha-D-Glucopyranosylglucitol
  • D-Glucitol, 4--O-.alpha.-D-glucopyranosyl
  • D-Glucitol, 4-O-a-D-glucopyranosyl-
  • D-Glucitol, 4-O-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-
  • D-Glucitol, 4-O-|A-D-glucopyranosyl-
  • D-Glucopyranosyl-D-glucitol
  • D-Maltitol
  • delta-4-O-alpha-delta-Glucopyranosylglucitol
  • delta-Maltitol
  • Glucitol, 4-O-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-, D-
  • HSDB 7971
  • INS NO.965(I)
  • INS-965(I)
  • Lycasin hbc
  • Malbit
  • Malbit ch 16385
  • Malti Mr
  • Maltidex ch 16385
  • Maltisorb
  • Maltisweet 3145
  • Maltit
  • MALTITOL
  • Maltitol (D-Maltitol)
  • Maltitol (NF)
  • Maltitol (Standard)
  • Maltitol CRS
  • Maltitol(Discontinued,See CCFD200352)
  • Maltitol, >=98%
  • Maltitol, European Pharmacopoeia (EP) Reference Standard
  • Maltitol, Pharmaceutical Secondary Standard; Certified Reference Material
  • Maltitol, United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Reference Standard
  • Maltitol;D-Maltitol;<BR>Sorbitol EP Impurity C;<BR>Erythritol EP Impurity A
  • Sweetpearl p 200

Systematic names

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

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/maltitol.json