Antimicrobial effects of erythritol

Abstract

Sugar alcohols are a popular alternative to sugar. Especially erythritol shows to be an excellent substitute for sugar as it resembles almost the sweetness of sugar and unlike other sweeteners, it does not cause tooth decay. Increasing demand and the numerous properties of erythritol make it valuable for the food industry. In this study we investigated the antimicrobial effect of erythritol on different microorganisms frequently involved in problems of food safety by the measurement of the redox potential. The experiments were carried out at temperatures of 20, 26, 30 and 37 °C with Escherichia coli, Salmonella Tyhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes while 0, 6, 12 and 18 % erythritol was supplemented to the broth respectively and the TTD (time to detection) was monitored.