Nutritional studies on maltitol. Part 1: Acceptability, energetic yield, effects on growth and blood biochemical parameters.

Maltitol is a disaccharide molecule with special physico-chemical characteristics due to a glycosidic bond which is not easily split by the natural disaccharidases. The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of a prolonged feeding with maltitol on growing rats. Acceptability, caloric yield, intestinal absorption and metabolic effects have been determined.