Steel's Gourmet sugar substitutes and sweeteners are made with Nature Sweet (Maltitol). Nature Sweet is a unique, natural sugar free sweetener made from corn. It contains no artificial ingredients and can be used cup for cup like sugar for superior baking and cooking results. Nature Sweet contains about half the calories of sugar, is suitable for low carbohydrate and diabetic diets, and has no aftertaste. Try it in all your favorite recipes.

Maltitol is a member of a family of bulk sweeteners known as polyols or sugar alcohols. It has a pleasant sweet taste--remarkably similar to sucrose. Maltitol is about 90% as sweet as sugar, non-cariogenic, and significantly reduced in calories. Maltitol is especially useful in the production of sweets, including sugarless hard candies, chewing gum, chocolates, baked goods and ice cream.

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Nature Sweet Sweeteners (Steel's Gourmet) - Average rating (1 review)  - Write a review Show Reviews Reviews (1) (0) (0) (0) (0)   3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. November 10, 2006 Reviewer: Trella in Arkansas Frostings made from the powdered taste just like regular powdered sugar recipes. I use a mix of the crystals and/or syrup with other sweeteners to enhance the sweetness and browning in baked goods. Just as good as sugar. You won't be able to tell the difference between Steel's syrup and corn syrup in recipes. All of these can be used in making fudge and candies. But these products make great tasting TREATS; they have enforced portion control built in and are not to be used to pig-out/cheat/fall off the wagon with--unless you enjoy some big intestinal discomfort. Was this review helpful to you? Yes  No

Sugar Substitute (Steel's Gourmet) - Average rating (17 reviews)  - Write a review Show Reviews Reviews (16) (0) (0) (0) (1) See all 17 reviews   2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. June 26, 2007 Reviewer: Jenny in Virginia These cook/bake/caramelize just like regular sugar. I make caramel, candy, cookies, and add them to whatever I want. The powdered is just like powdered, syrup just like corn syrup, crystals act like cane sugar etc. You just have to remember what maltitol does and be careful with who you feed it to :). These are perfect for low-carb cooking when Splenda does not give you the result you want. Was this review helpful to you? Yes  No February 29, 2012 Reviewer: Earl D in Tennessee My wife makes a wicked pecan pie using this product in place of the syrup generaly used. Also great in oatmeal or tea. Was this review helpful to you? Yes  No February 18, 2012 Reviewer: A customer in Georgia This is the ONLY sweetener to use in baking and cooking. Yes it does give you gas if you are not used to eating it so start out slowly, but once you get used to it there are no problems. This review is specific to Sugar Substitute, Nature Sweet Crystals (maltitol crystals) Was this review helpful to you? Yes  No December 18, 2011 Reviewer: Lenore in Michigan I have been using Steel Gourmet's sugar substitute for 8 years now. Steel Gourmet provides my husband and I the ability to bake sweets, especially cookies. My baked goods turn out perfect. Other substitutes prevented me from making baked goods like cookies. Steel Gourmet's sugar's doesn't change the structure of my baked goods, in fact, they look like and taste like I baked with real sugar. I'm also grateful that they provide me with brown sugar and powdered sugar. I highly recommend this product! Was this review helpful to you? Yes  No June 04, 2011 Reviewer: connie in California Tastes just like normal sugar. It is a little lumpy, but easy to break the lumps. This review is specific to Sugar Substitute, Nature Sweet Crystals (maltitol crystals) Was this review helpful to you? Yes  No See more reviews

Maltitol is made by the hydrogenation of maltose which is obtained from starch. Like other polyols, it does not brown or caramelize as do sugars. Maltitol’s high sweetness allows it to be used without other sweeteners. It exhibits a negligible cooling effect in the mouth compared to most other polyols. Although maltitol is often used to replace sugars in the manufacture of sugar-free foods, it may also be used to replace fat as it gives a creamy texture to food.

Maltitol is slowly absorbed. Therefore, when maltitol is used, the rise in blood glucose and the insulin response associated with the ingestion of glucose is significantly reduced. The reduced caloric value of maltitol (2.1 calories per gram versus 4.0 for sugar) is consistent with the objective of weight control. Products sweetened with maltitol in place of sugar may be useful in providing a wider variety of reduced-calorie and sugar-free choices to people with diabetes. Recognizing that diabetes is complex and requirements for its management may vary between individuals, the usefulness of maltitol should be discussed between individuals and their health care providers. Foods sweetened with maltitol may contain other ingredients which also contribute calories and other nutrients. These must be considered in meal planning.

Reduced Calorie Alternative to Sugar - Absorption of maltitol by the human body is slow, allowing part of the ingested maltitol to reach the large intestine where metabolism yields fewer calories. Therefore, unlike sugar which contributes four calories per gram, the caloric contribution of maltitol is only 2.1 calories per gram. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has stated it does not object to the use of this value for maltitol in nutrition labeling of foods. For a product to qualify as "reduced calorie" in the United States, it must have at least a 25 percent reduction in calories. Maltitol is, therefore, useful in formulating "reduced calorie" products.

The lower caloric value of maltitol and other polyols is recognized in other countries as well. For example, the European Union has provided a Nutritional Labeling Directive stating that all polyols, including maltitol, are assigned a caloric value of 2.4 calories per gram.