Although most polyols are present in nature, e.g., in fruits and vegetables, their extraction is not a viable production method. For the majority of polyols, cereals, as wheat and maize, are the main raw materials. Also sugar (sucrose) and xylose derived from corn cobs, almond shells and birch bark have become a source for production of isomalt and xylitol respectively.

The typical pathway is isolation of starch from the cereal followed by enzymatic conversion to the proper saccharides which are the hydrogenated in the presence of catalysts to convert the aldehyde and ketone groups into alcohol functions.

As a consequence, the chemical structure is made linear, the chemical stability is improved and the tendency to undergo Maillard reactions (browning) is substantially reduced. It also modifies several physicochemical properties such as solubility, viscosity, hygroscopicity and boiling temperature which all contributes to the differences in behavior between polyols.