No great benefit as a sweetener, it is less than half as sweet as sugar and has a similar glycemic index. However it has a multitude of other uses and applications. It is an antioxidant, it acts as a natural preservative, it keeps food moist and helps preserve texture and flavour. In nature it has amazing qualities which seem to prevent damage to cells from drying out or freezing.
These properties can have advantages in the production of cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and foodstuffs. It has an important application as a constituent in solutions for the protection of organs during transplant operations. It is useful as a component of frozen foods and ration packs etc. It is temperature stable and can be used in cooking.
It has been shown to inhibit the degradation of carbohydrates, proteins, and fatty acids in foods. Thus it can act as a safe preservative. In addition it has been found to inhibit the development of bacteria that cause body odor, so it may find use as a cosmetic.