Sweetener Question

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MeltingNe0

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I have just gotten started with DIY and have a quick question. I'm following a recipe that requires 1% Ethyl Maltol 10%. I read that this is used as a sweetener. I don't have any on hand, however, I have Sucralose 5% in 100% VG. Can this be used instead? Will the flavor be different and if not would I have to add twice the amount of Sucralose since it's in 5% instead of the 10% Ethyl Maltol. Thank you in advance!
 

JavaDan

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I'm pretty much a noob having only been mixing for a couple months. Having said that here's my take. I won't be offended if more experienced DIYers say otherwise . . . . .

EM can add some sweetness, but it's mainly used to round out or blend flavors. It's primary use is not as a sweetener. To use EM for a sweetener I believe that you'd have to use a lot of it, and that could cause too much change to your flavor.

I would use the sucralose. A little sucralose goes a long way, so I would not be put off by the percentage being lower than EM.

Try the sucralose at, say 1% with a small batch of say 10ml. Adjust it from there.

If you want to grow your collection, Marshmallow and Cotton Candy are other good flavors to use for getting more sweetness.
 
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dannyv45

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I'm pretty much a noob having only been mixing for a couple months. Having said that here's my take. I won't be offended if more experienced DIYers say otherwise . . . . .

EM can add some sweetness, but it's mainly used to round out or blend flavors. It's primary use is not as a sweetener. To use EM for a sweetener I believe that you'd have to use a lot of it, and that could cause too much change to your flavor.

I would use the sucralose. A little sucralose goes a long way, so I would not be put off by the percentage being lower than EM.

Try the sucralose at, say 1% with a small batch of say 10ml. Adjust it from there.

If you want to grow your collection, Marshmallow and Cotton Candy are other good flavors to use for getting more sweetness.

you have a good handle on it except for the marshmallow and cotton candy. Marshmallow and cotton candy are much like EM they add body thickness and wetness to a vape and the only difference is there's additional flavors added to it to give it a marshmallow or cotton candy taste. The best sweeting agent for sweetness is sweetener (sucarlos). But EM at .5% will enhance the sweetess of sucarlos as well as give it body, thickness and wetness.
 
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SailCat

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Ethyl Maltol has been discussed elsewhere on ECF and at length by member(s) we2arecool who did exhaustive double-blind testing on many aspects of DIY. Other characteristics aside, EM will sweeten, but not very much and then only for liquids which are not in and of themselves as sweet as EM. It is better used as an enhancer as danny45 describes above than considered a sweetener at all.

Sucralose is likely the most often used sweetener in DIY. It's not perfect but will definitely sweeten in cases where EM is ineffective. Some DIYers can taste an artificiality or bitterness. Almost every brand or vendor offering labeled 'Sweetener' is Sucralose.

Marshmallow is, for myself, an effective sweetener in many e-liquids and I have a 60ml bottle for that use almost exclusively. Since there were opinions expressed to the contrary, I suppose we could say it is arguably and effective sweetener.

FA Meringue can sweeten certain e-liquids and in some cases enhance them. So it is when combined with FA SoHo. It will also add a 'baked' quality to juices, such as providing a 'browned edges' effect to a cookie vape.

Stevia seems too be the latest DIY darling and perhaps it earns the praise. Available inn pure powder or unadulterated liquid form. it is sugar-sweet without sugar and adds no bitterness YMMV, as always but it opting for the liquid, it's wise to be certain there is nothing other than bases one would use in mixing: distilled water, PG, VG or ethyl alcohol. My preference is powder for greater control.

ETA: As #sketchness pointed out, there's no reason to add any sweetener unnecessarily Try any recipe without sweeteners before adding any. Flavorings are sweet and may well be sweet enough.

Besides being economical, mixing one's own e-liquids adds a myriad facets to transform our lifestyle into something that is ever more deeply satisfying and rewarding. :)
 
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