Xylitol, a natural component of our products, is a good-tasting sweetener that is reduced in calories, is dentally safe and that features a host of other health benefits. Xylitol has the same sweetness and bulk as sucrose, but with one-third fewer calories and no unpleasant aftertaste. It dissolves quickly and produces a cooling sensation in the mouth. In more than 35 countries, Xylitol is approved for use in foods, pharmaceuticals and oral health products. Discovered in 1891 by German chemist Emil Fischer, Xylitol occurs naturally in many fruits and vegetables and is even produced by the human body during normal metabolism. It is a white, odorless crystalline powder with a pleasant, sweet taste. Produced commercially from plants such as birch and other hardwood trees and fibrous vegetation, Xylitol has been used as a sweetening agent in human food since the 60s. Our XyliChew® Gums contain Xylitol only from Finnish hardwoods, mainly birch. No corn or other cheap, poor quality sources are ever used in XyliChew®.