ABSTRACT
Xylitol is considered as one of the top relevant biorefinery sugar-derived products due to its interesting properties and its use has already been approved in more than forty countries. This polyol is mainly recognized in the food sector due to its sweetness equivalent to sucrose but with a significantly lower glycemic index. A great variety of products formulated with xylitol can be found in the market, being most industrially applied in chewing gum production. However, xylitol has others interesting properties, with several clinical applications, acting both on the prevention and treatment of diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, otitis and diabetes. This chapter comprehensively presents the established and in development xylitol applications, from food to medical sector, including recently discovered COVID-19 treatment potential, and chemical industries applications, exploring xylitol-based materials and its use on tissue-engineering. In addition, xylitol safety and side effects are explored, including the main policies regarding its use. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022. All rights reserved.