Xylitol does NOT kill beer yeast!!

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jaydventer

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Objective: To see if xylitol can be used as a non-fermentable sweetner or if xylitol kills (brewers)yeast.

Method:

i had 3 bottles in which i put:

Bottle 1: water + yeast + sugar
Bottle 2: water + yeast + sugar + xylitol
Bottle 3: water + yeast + xylitol

i then put balloons on each of the bottles' mouths.

Observation:

2667357039_6f913a73a8.jpg


Bottle 1: the balloon swelled slightly, foam from fermentation is visible

Bottle 2: the balloon swelled significantly and in fact blew right off the bottle, leaving yeast foam all over the walls (which i had to clean later :-(( )

Bottle 3: no activity. the balloon had in fact been sucked into the bottle. i suspect because the water solution had cooled down and thus the air pressure inside the bottle went down?

Conclusion:

Xyiltol is non-fermentable. Xylitol does not kill (brewers)yeast, at least not in the ratio used in this experiment (about 1:1).
i think the reason for Bottle 2 showing stronger fermentation than bottle 1 is because i might have put more sugar into bottle 2.

after a while, i also added xylitol to bottle 1, and sugar to bottle 3.
bottle one kept on fermenting, and bottle 3 started fermenting shortly after the addition of the sugar.
 
"Xylitol, like most sugar alcohols, can have a laxative effect, because sugar alcohols are not fully broken down during digestion."

Great!

Now not only can I enjoy the wonderful aromas of beer farts but, now I have reason to do it on the throne too.:p
 
Awesome.....I've been waiting for someone to run a test like this :mug:



But bottle #2 troubles me...........did you put more sugar in it or something? If you can will you redo bottle 1 and 2 and make sure you put the exact same amount so we'll know for sure if it was just too much sugar, or if the xylitol is some how causing more co2 to be released. Maybe put a rubber band around the balloons to try and hold in most of the co2.
 
What would be the andvantage of using xylitol, besides being lactose intolerant?

I agree with the previous post. Mix up a sugar/water solution to use in both bottles with sugar.
 
What would be the andvantage of using xylitol, besides being lactose intolerant?

He had problems finding lactose where he lived, but xylitol is plentiful. I'm interested in it just for the lactose intolerance part. I can't stand splenda either.
 
Yea, my girlfriend is lactose intolerant, so if the taste is good (I hate splenda too) it would be good for backsweeting ciders. She tends to like them on the drier side, so I may not even have to worry about it though.
 
okay, i will do a sugar/water/yeast mix and split into 2 bottles, just to make sure the xylitol doesn't have some weird catalyst effect!!


damnit, yes, the laxitive effect is a bit worrying... haha
 
I wonder how much of it will cause the laxitive effect. Maybe a small enough to back sweeten a brew would not be enough.
 
I wonder how much of it will cause the laxitive effect. Maybe a small enough to back sweeten a brew would not be enough.

I prescribe (and use) xylitol mints that contain 1g of xylitol each. I've probably downed 7-10 in an hour before with no noticeable "results."

Note that xylitol is biochemically a competitive inhibitor, which explains the results the OP explained in the second experimental group. Xylitol will only kill the yeast if the concentration of the inhibitor is sufficiently greater than that of the substrate (sugar).

Also note the sweetness is xylitol is roughly equivalent to that of sucrose, doesn't have a noticeable aftertaste, and promotes oral hygiene. Put xylitol in a 10% ethanol brew and you'll basically have delicious, chuggable Scope on your hands.
 
this is interesting, i have not wanted to use unfermentable sugars such as splenda because when i used splenda once i found that it made the brew have a lemon after taste like pleg wood polish... so i didnt use it anymore... i later developed a taste for dry cider

cheers
 
Whoa whoa whoa. Ok, I realize this is an old thread, but does anyone have any experience backsweetening cider with this Xylitol stuff?

I don't keg, so I'd pretty much given up on the idea of making the sweet, carbonated cider that so entrances SWMBO. Is this an option?

Yeah, and splenda -- bleah.
 
Xylitol works great to backsweetening hard cider. I just tried it a few months ago and I am very happy with the result. I added 1 cup of xylitol to 5 gallons of hard cider then added 3/4 cup corn sugar to carbonate. The end result is a well carbonated cider that isn't too dry. One might play around with the amount of corn sugar or apple juice vs xylitol to match the carbonation they like. at 1/0.75 the yeast can eat most of the dextrose.

A big group of friends drank my ciders and non reported in digestion problems. I don't think that is a big concern with only 1 cup to 5 gallons. The taste of Xylitol is clean and you won't gag on splenda flavors.
 
...but it can be toxic to your dog, FWIW.


Yes, like hops.

Unlike hops (more rare toxicity for dogs), Xylitol is actually quite dangerous for them. Most dogs will be poisoned by xylitol, and it doesnt take much, be careful if you have a pet around they love the stuff. I dont keep it around any more, I almost lost my dog to it.

A side note, if you dog does ingest something poisenous, pour hydrogen peroxide down their throat until they throw up, its the cheapest, safest, and fastest way to get a toxin out of your dogs stomach!!!! Dont believe me, google it :D
 
My vet has had me give my dog hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting twice. Works like a charm. 1 tsp per 10 pounds of body weight. Be outside when you do it; it works fast.

(If you were wondering, the first time was because he ate a 12 pack of watch batteries; the second time because he ate a six-day prescription [for me, 150 pounds] of prednisolone...the cat had knocked it off the counter. I keep things stowed better now!)
 
Sorry for resurrect this post from past decade.
Could someone tell me if its possible to use Xylitol or Erythritol to increase beer body or just to keep a residual sweet?
 
Sorry for resurrect this post from past decade.
Could someone tell me if its possible to use Xylitol or Erythritol to increase beer body or just to keep a residual sweet?
Sorry this is years late but no it isn't useful for increasing body in anything just sweetness and you definately dont want to add it to BEER only cider/ ginger beer / mead . If your taking the edge off a stout you use lactose.
 
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