Best Non Fermentable Sugar

[bea...@gmail.com]

I'm considering the use of a non fermentable sugar for 1 or 2 of my 5 gallon cider batches.  There are a variety to choose from and Sucralose and Xylitol seem like good options.

Does anyone have any experience with non fermentables and can suggest one they had a successful outcome with or caution against a particular option?  

Much appreciated,

John 

[Andrew Lea]

Sucralose is a synthetic high intensity sweetener. It has a clean sweetness but no body. It does not occur in nature. 

Xylitol is a natural sugar alcohol but any that you buy will be synthetic and made from wood pulp.  It has a taste profile almost identical to sucrose but also a potential laxative effect. Bang for buck, it’s costlier than other sweeteners so mostly used only by hobbyists. 

Personally I much prefer to use xylitol but it isn’t cheap. 

Andrew 

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Wittenham Hill Cider Page

www.cider.org.uk

On 7 Dec 2020, at 18:49, bea...@gmail.com <bea...@gmail.com> wrote:

I'm considering the use of a non fermentable sugar for 1 or 2 of my 5 gallon cider batches.  There are a variety to choose from and Sucralose and Xylitol seem like good options.

Does anyone have any experience with non fermentables and can suggest one they had a successful outcome with or caution against a particular option?  

Much appreciated,

John 

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[radfordgraham333]

I've had good results with xylitol. Taste just like sugar. I'm sure if you use it you'll be satisfied with the outcome. 

Hope that helps

Sent from my Galaxy

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[Nik Saunders]

We've tried Splenda, Truvia and Xylitol. To my better half and her family, Splenda was more noticeable than Truvia but both weren't acceptable to them, but Xylitol is the one we use now as it doesn't seem to have any taste at all. This year I may treat half of a 30 litre batch with Stevia to enable us to do a blind test. I think I read somewhere that Xylitol can't be used if you intend to sell your cider.

If you taste just a bit of the sweetener on the tip of your finger, Splenda seems to have a strong chemical taste which can't do much for the cider.

Two years ago I forgot to add sweetener in one 30 litre batch with the result that it was far too dry/sharp. After leaving it for a year, until we'd drunk all the other batches it became jolly nice, causing me to doubt my records! So that's another experiment I'll be doing this year.

[gareth chapman]

depends which Splenda you use, original Splenda was sucrolase but they also use stevia and other sweeteners now. I would steer clear of any Stevia based products in just about every use I have heard of tasters always report an after taste. 

I would stick with Xylitol with the added bonus that the laxative effect will give you that genuine old school, Somerset, farmgate, scrumpy experience

[bea...@gmail.com]

Thanks very much for everyone's response.  I think I'm going to try Xylitol this year.  Are all Xylitol products products the same / standardized or does anyone recommend a particular brand? 

John

[Nicholas Bradstock]

For Cidermakers selling their cider in the UK and therefore subject to HMRC Notice 162:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/excise-notice-162-cider-production/excise-notice-162-cider-production#sec-25

Xylitol is not included in the HMRC List of Permitted Cider Ingredients (Section 25) and so should not be used in cider/perry made for sale on a duty controlled basis, whether by a duty-exempt Cidermaker or a duty-paying Cidermaker.

The relevant legal effect of adding xylitol to cider (or, for that matter, any other ingredient not included in the Section 25 list) is to cause the cider to be classed as “made wine” for duty purposes - and then wine duty becomes payable on ALL sales.

(Apologies to those already aware....)

Nick

iPhone

On 13 Jan 2021, at 17:24, bea...@gmail.com <bea...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks very much for everyone's response.  I think I'm going to try Xylitol this year.  Are all Xylitol products products the same / standardized or does anyone recommend a particular brand? 

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[Andrew Lea]

Xylitol is a pure synthetic chemical made from wood and agricultural waste, so if you buy 100% Xylitol that is what it will be. Here in the UK I’ve never seen it cut with anything else when it is bought as a sweetener. The picture shows the most widely sold brand in the UK, available in all supermarkets. It has the same sweetening power as sucrose (cane / beet sugar) but is much more expensive. It’s also widely used in chewing gum and in some low-sugar baking mixes. 

Beware xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs because they metabolise it in a different way to us. 

Andrew

Wittenham Hill Cider Portal
www.cider.org.uk

On 13 Jan 2021, at 17:24, bea...@gmail.com <bea...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks very much for everyone's response.  I think I'm going to try Xylitol this year.  Are all Xylitol products products the same / standardized or does anyone recommend a particular brand? 

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