Widely used in the food industry as a sweetener and humectant, helping to retain moisture and improve texture in products like chewing gum, candies, and baked goods. It is non-cariogenic, making it a common ingredient in sugar-free chewing gum and oral care products such as toothpaste and mouthwash. In pharmaceuticals, it serves as an excipient in tablets and syrups, and is used in some laxatives due to its osmotic properties. It also finds use in cosmetics and skincare formulations for its moisturizing and stabilizing effects. Additionally, it acts as a starting material in the industrial production of vitamin C through microbial fermentation.