Xylitol

Xylitol is an organic compound, a sugar alcohol with the formula HOCH(CH(OH)CH2OH)2, appearing as a colorless or white crystalline solid and belonging to the alditol category of sugar alcohols; it is sometimes called birch sugar because it can be extracted from birch wood, though it should not be confused with birch syrup. It was first isolated from beech wood in September 1890 by the chemists Emil Fischer and Rudolf Stahel, who named it Xylit, and interest in it as a sugar substitute grew during sugar rationing in the Second World War. It is used today as a food additive and sugar substitute carrying the European Union code E967, appearing in drugs, dietary supplements, confections, toothpaste and chewing gum rather than as a common household sweetener, and it is considered safe for humans in the United States.