Maltol is a gluten-free ingredient. If you suffer from celiac disease, you can still use maltol in the recipes that you are making to enhance the flavor. You may even notice this ingredient appear on many gluten-free products, including gluten-free baked goods. Maltol is a gluten-free product because there is no wheat in it.
What you may not have known about maltol is that it’s a natural ingredient, so it’s not possible for authentic maltol to have any traces of gluten in it. This is because gluten is a protein composite that can be found in wheat and similar grains. Even during the processing phase, maltol won’t come in contact with gluten.
People who are suffering from celiac disease or just want to eliminate gluten from their diet can safely consume sweets and baked goods that were made with maltol (as long as the other ingredients are gluten-free).
About Maltol
Maltol is a natural compound that is found within pine needles, larch trees, and roasted malt. It is often used as a flavor enhancer because it has a very sweet aroma. If you were to check the ingredients of your favorite cotton candy or caramel flavored sweets, you would likely find maltol on the ingredients list.
It is even possible to get maltol to occur naturally in foods when the sugar goes through the roasting or baking process. That is why certain foods, like honey-roasted peanuts or baked beans, have a slight caramel flavor. It has become a popular ingredient to use in many food products, especially because it is able to reduce bitter flavors in food and beverages.
One of the great things about using maltol in food products is that it can withstand high cooking temperatures without losing or distorting any flavor properties. Most commonly this ingredient is used for sweet treats, like cookies, soda, and ice cream. However, it also shows up in many gluten-free bread recipes.
If you were to see maltol in its natural state, it appears to be a white crystal-like powder. It is can easily dissolve in water, which makes it very easy to work with for many recipes.
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Maltol Ingredients
Unlike many items in your cupboards and pantry, maltol doesn’t have a list of different ingredients. This is because it is a natural compound. To sum it up in scientific terms, maltol is created when glucose gets a 4-O glycoside linkage and the formation of monosaccharides is barely there.
Matol comes from natural sources and has been recognized as safe to consume by the FDA. It is an authorized flavor enhancer that is safe for consumption.
Even though maltol has a very sweet aroma, it doesn’t contain sugars or any other ingredient to make it that way. This is how it is the natural aroma of the compound. The only ingredient in maltol is maltol.
Maltol Nutritional Information
According to Auro Chemicals and Fit Bit, there is no nutritional content to maltol. In a 100 gram serving of maltol, there are no calories, vitamins, sugars, or other nutritional values. One thing to consider is that maltol is not actually a food that people would consume on its own or to gain energy. It is only used to improve the taste.
When viewing the nutritional content for 100 grams of maltol, this is what you will find:
| Calories | 0 grams |
| Total Fat | 0 grams |
| Dietary fiber | 0 grams |
| Sodium | 0 grams |
| Carbohydrates | 0 grams |
| Sugar | 0 grams |
| Protein | 0 grams |
| Cholesterol | 0 grams |
| Potassium | 0 grams |
| Vitamin A | 0 % |
| Vitamin C | 0 % |
| Iron | 0 % |
| Calcium | 0 % |
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