Isomaltulose
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| Names | |
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IUPAC name
6-O-α-D-Glucopyranosyl-D-fructose
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| Other names
Palatinose™
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3D model (Jmol)
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| ChemSpider | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.033.878 |
| EC Number | 237-282-1 |
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PubChem CID
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| Properties | |
| C12H22O11 | |
| Molar mass | 342.30 g·mol−1 |
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Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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 (what is   ?) |
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| Infobox references | |
Isomaltulose (proprietary name Palatinose) is a disaccharide carbohydrate composed of glucose and fructose linked by an alpha-1,6-glycosidic bond (chemical name: 6-0-α-D-glucopyranosyl-D-fructose). It is naturally present in honey and sugar cane extracts. It tastes similar to sucrose with half the sweetness. Isomaltulose is also known by the trade name Palatinose™, which is manufactured by enzymatic rearrangement (isomerization) from sucrose (beet sugar). The enzyme and its source were discovered in Germany in 1950. After evaluation of its basic physiology—reviewed—it has been used as a sugar alternative in foods in Japan since 1985, in the EU since 2005, in the US since 2006, and in Australia and New Zealand since 2007, besides numerous other countries worldwide where isomaltulose can be found today. Characterization, purity and analytical methods for commercial isomaltulose are laid down for example, in the Food Chemicals Codex. Physical and physiological properties of isomaltulose (Palatinose) have been summarised; its physical properties closely resemble those of sucrose making it easy to use in existing recipes and processes.
The last decade has seen considerable interest in isomaltulose. Like sucrose (table sugar) it can be digested to glucose and fructose. However, it differs from sucrose in one highly important respect. While in sucrose the glucose and fructose are bonded together with a linkage called α1-2, in isomaltulose the linkage is α1-6. This difference results in profoundly different effects on human (and animal) physiology with multiple potential health benefits when isomaltulose is consumed in place of sucrose and certain other carbohydrates. The benefits arise because, in comparison with sucrose and most other carbohydrates, isomaltulose is digested slowly and steadily by humans and animals, and is essentially no substrate for oral bacteria (i.e. isomaltulose is kind to teeth by not promoting tooth decay).
Basically, isomaltulose has the same function as sucrose; that is as an energy source that keeps the human body and brain functioning. The similarities even extend to how both of these substances taste and are processed.
Isomaltulose is an available carbohydrate like sucrose and most others sugars or maltodextrins. Available or “nutritive” carbohydrates serve the body as a source of energy for its physiological functions. Whether a carbohydrate becomes available to the body largely depends on its digestion, absorption and metabolism.
When present in foods and beverages that are ingested by humans, isomaltulose is essentially completely digested and absorbed. Its intestinal digestion involves the enzyme isomaltase, which is located in the wall of the small intestine. This enzyme is otherwise involved in the digestion of α-1,6 linkages present in starch. The products of isomaltulose digestion are glucose and fructose, which enter blood. Once absorbed, the glucose and fructose follow the same metabolic routes through the body as if they were derived from sucrose. While fructose is converted to glucose in the liver, glucose from the small intestine and liver is distributed via blood to different parts of the body where it serves cellular metabolism as an energy source.
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