Xylitol, a sugar substitute frequently used in sugar-free gum, is generally considered harmless to humans but it can be extremely toxic to dogs. Dog-owning customers are becoming increasingly aware of the risks associated with xylitol-containing chewing gums.
However, there remains some uncertainty if these chewing gums are still dangerous to dogs after they have been partially consumed. In this work, a reliable low-cost analytical method has been developed to quantify the xylitol in sugar-free gum samples. Xylitol was extracted from gum samples using water as a solvent. Xylitol can be found naturally in low concentrations in fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, and sugar cane.
It is a type of artificial sweetener known as a sugar alcohol [ 1 ], commonly used as a reduced calorie sugar substitute in many foods.
In food, the primary role of artificial sugar alcohols is to act as sweeteners, but they also influence product texture, preservation, moisture maintenance, and the cooling sensations in the mouth upon consumption [ 1 ]. For these many reasons xylitol is extensively utilized in chewing gum, and consumers favor xylitol-containing products because of perceived reduction in energy intake which can produce weight loss [ 2 , 3 ].
Xylitol is also safe for diabetics because it stimulates much less insulin release than a comparable quantity of table sugar [ 1 ]. Xylitol helps to prevent dental caries [ 4 — 9 ], since diet is a major etiological factor in dental health, and limiting the consumption of fermentable carbohydrates and sugars is an effective strategy to control dental caries [ 10 ]. Therefore, there is interest in replacing sucrose in chewing gum with nonfermentable sugars such as xylitol, which prevents the lactic acid production that can result in cavities [ 4 — 8 ].
Xylitol has a varied safety margin in mammals. While xylitol consumption has been proven to be beneficial to humans, it can be fatal to dogs. Xylitol is rapidly absorbed in dogs, increasing insulin levels within 15 minutes of ingestion [ 12 ].
Hypoglycemia occurs when intracellular transfer of potassium ions is activated by insulin [ 13 ]. A dose of 0.
Generally, xylitol ingestion by dogs causes hyperinsulinemia, which can result in vomiting, ataxia, lethargy, weakness, seizures, hypoglycemia, coma, and death [ 11 — 16 ]. Thus, ingestion of xylitol-containing products, such as sugar-free gum, can result in xylitol toxicity in dogs. Table 1 shows the prediction of minimum number of gum sticks to provide a toxic dose of xylitol 0. The amount of xylitol and number of fresh gum sticks that can cause hypoglycemia in dogs [ 16 — 18 ].
Xylitol's presence in chewing gum and other consumer products makes it readily available to dogs with detrimental effects often requiring veterinary care.
This study was inspired by many such incidences. Today, many dog-owning customers are aware of the risks associated with xylitol-containing chewing gums. However, there remains some uncertainty as to whether these chewing gums are still dangerous to dogs after they have been partially consumed. The primary goal of this study was to provide conclusive evidence of the toxicity of xylitol-containing chewing gums after partial consumption.
Herein, a reliable low-cost analytical method has been developed to quantify the xylitol in sugar-free gum samples. HPLC seems to be the obvious choice in this analysis; however, separation can be complicated because gum samples often have multiple polyols with overlapping retention times.
Consequently, HPLC separation often requires specialty, high-cost columns that may not be available in many analytical laboratories. Direct aqueous injection DAI is key to this analysis because polyols are more soluble in water than any other common solvent [ 28 ]. Employing DAI with GC-MS analysis has important advantages including high-speed analysis, simplicity, and the elimination of the lengthy sample derivatization steps that are often required [ 29 — 31 ].
Direct aqueous GC injection has been successfully used to analyze polar compounds such as carboxylic acids, ethers, fuel oxygenates, and other fuel components [ 32 — 37 ]. To the best of our knowledge, the method described here is the first to explore the use of GC-MS direct aqueous injection to determine xylitol content of chewing gum samples.
Glycerol CAS, assay Xylitol-containing Trident sugar-free gum was purchased from Walmart regular 0. DI water was used to prepare all samples and standard stock solutions. Similar weight gum pieces were chosen for analysis. A flow diagram of the method is shown in Figure 1 that includes sample collection, xylitol extractions by grinding gum pieces using a mortar and pestle, and centrifugation to remove any particulates before preparing solutions for GC-MS analysis.
Since fresh gum samples contain a large amount of xylitol, sample concentration before the analysis was not required Figure 1 , Fresh gum. However, chewed gum samples contain fairly small amounts of xylitol and therefore, extracts must be concentrated for accurate GC-MS analysis Figure 1 , chewed gum. Typically, a nitrogen evaporator is used to concentrate samples. The rotary evaporator proved to be more efficient. Sample collection: 4 gum packs, each containing 18 gum sticks, were randomly selected from a commercial package containing 14 packs.
A total of 12 fresh gum sticks were collected from the gum packs including the 1st, 9th, and 18th gum sticks of each pack to determine xylitol content. A fresh gum stick was carefully cut into about 6—7 small pieces. Nine extractions are recommended to account for differences in an extractor's grinding technique.
Exactly Sample collection: 12 volunteers, between 20 and 40 years old, participated in this study. Participants were asked to wash their mouth with water before they chewed a gum stick. Participants chewed their gum pieces with similar starting masses 1.
Three gum samples from each participant were collected within a 2-day interval a total of 36 gum samples. The reduced xylitol content in the chewed samples required fewer extraction steps than the fresh gum. A similar procedure was used as above.
Participants washed their mouth with water before chewing gum pieces with almost identical masses 1. The chewed gum pieces were collected into sterilized containers before extraction.
Three replicates were performed by each participant total 36 gum samples. Water is generally considered as a poor solvent in GC analysis due to problems related to backflash and chemical reactivity.
Common GC solvents such as hexane, ethyl acetate, acetone, and dichloromethane have vapor-to-liquid volume ratios in the range of —, [ 38 ] while the same for the water is found to be Solvent vapors that expand to exceed the volume of the GC liner results in backflash which can cause severe separation and liner problems.
The use of a laminar cup splitter Figure 3 is suitable for such situations when injecting large volumes of low volatile compounds. With a laminar cup inlet, the injected liquid will be trapped at the GC liner base until all the liquid completes vaporization. Chemical damage to the stationary phase is another problem related to GC water injection.
However, immobilized and cross-linked nonpolar liquid film columns are found to be stable towards GC water injections [ 39 ]. Maintaining a stable vacuum can also be a concern with GC water injections. After a quick scan of the posts I determined that the authors were not differentiating maltitol from xylitol.
This pet poison control center is frequently consulted by Friendship doctors when a possible toxin has been ingested. After setting up an account, I provided all the details of the possible exposure and information about my dogs.
The veterinary toxicologist was very helpful and assured me that maltitol was not toxic! I did not need to worry about low blood sugars, nor did I need to monitor liver enzymes. Diarrhea was a concern though as the large sugar molecules would draw water into the digestive tract. My dogs would be fine, but ingestion of xylitol containing products is a commonly seen problem at Friendship. Over the years the use of xylitol has increased and it is commonly found not only in sugar-free candy and gum, but also in baked goods, desserts, beverages, cereals, and toothpaste.
As popularity increased, the number of pet poisonings also increased and has risen from only a handful in to over two-thousand and five-hundred cases in ; and the numbers are continuing to rise! She is originally from Minnesota, where she completed a BS in biology and graduated from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in She completed a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery in Hollywood, Florida and continued on as an associate in the practice for 10 years.
You may choose to give charcoal with sorbitol as a cathartic. If the dog is hypoglycemic administer IV fluids with dextrose for hours then discontinue dextrose and monitor blood glucose q hrs off of dextrose. Hepatoprotectants should be administered and include SAME, milk thistle, and acetylcysteine. Training plans allow you to organize assignments for your organization however it requires a premium account.
Sign up for the Free trial. You can assign procedural shorts, CE lectures, or medical articles to a single team member, group or multiple groups.
I had no idea how bad this was! Surprising it does not seem to bother cats. Great article, thank you :D. Once processed, xylitol is a white powder that looks and tastes similar to sugar and has been proven to actually decrease cavity formation in humans. All of these positives for humans has increased the popularity of xylitol in the marketplace over the last several years.
What products contain xylitol? The most common and easily accessible xylitol containing products include Ice Breakers, Orbit, Stride and Trident chewing gums. What problems does xylitol cause in dogs? Severe and sudden drops in blood sugar, liver failure, seizures, and death can all occur from xylitol ingestion in dogs. In humans xylitol does not cause release of insulin.
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