what does this mean?

Question

what does sugar alcohol mean?

Answer 1

Sugar alcohols, sometimes called polyols, are a class of carbohydrates that are more slowly or incompletely absorbed by the human digestive system than sugars. Common sugar alcohols include sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, and xylitol. Sugar alcohols contribute less Calories to the diet than most other types of carbohydrates, but may cause digestive discomfort.

Answer 2

A sugar alcohol (also known as a polyol, polyhydric alcohol, or polyalcohol) is a hydrogenated form of carbohydrate, whose carbonyl group (aldehyde or ketone, reducing sugar) has been reduced to a primary or secondary hydroxyl group. They are commonly used for replacing sucrose in foodstuffs, often in combination with high intensity artificial sweeteners to counter the low sweetness. Some common sugar alcohols are:

erythritol
isomalt
lactitol
maltitol
mannitol
sorbitol
xylitol
Disaccharides and monosaccharides can both form sugar alcohols; however, sugar alcohols derived from disaccharides (eg Maltitol and lactitol) are not entirely hydrogenated because only one aldehyde group is available for reduction.