A wide range of sugar-free products formulated with isomalt is available, including hard and soft caramels, hard candies and cough drops, chewing gums, chocolates, fondants, marzipans, baked goods, preserves, ice creams, pressed mints and dragees, pharmaceutical products, and many others. The high sugar content of breakfast cereals and related products make them good candidates for development of sugar-free or sugar-reduced variants. Trials have shown that isomalt can be used in a wide range of cereal products, including extruded and coated breakfast cereals, cooked cereal products, soft or crunchy granola and cereal bars, and muesli clusters. Isomalt provides a variety of benefits, including fewer calories and lower glycemic response than sucrose, low solubility, no Maillard reaction, very low hygroscopicity, and smooth, sweet profile similar to that of sucrose. It is also more stable than sucrose and can be heated without breaking down under higher temperatures during processing. Because it absorbs little water, products containing isomalt absorb less moisture, which improves the shelf life and texture of stored cereal products.