Artificial Sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners are chemicals designed to mimic the taste of sugar without providing the same amount of dietary calories. They can be derived from synthetic or natural sources. In the United States, four artificial sweeteners are approved for use: saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, and acesulfame-K.
The desire for sweet taste is thought to be an innate human trait. Cave paintings at Arana in Spain show a Neolithic man getting honey from a bee hive. Scientists have suggested that early humans used sweetness as a guide to foods that were safe to eat.
One drawback to foods that contain large amounts of sugar is that they are also high in calories. Artificial sweeteners were developed to provide sweetening with fewer or no calories. They also have the added benefits of improving the palatability of foul-tasting drugs, helping people who suffer from diabetes. The first artificial sweetener was saccharin. It was discovered serendipitously in 1879 during experiments with toluene derivatives. It was used worldwide for years until concerns that it could cause cancer arose. The possible link between saccharin and cancer led Canada to ban the substance in 1977. In the United States the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined that the studies linking saccharin and cancer were inconclusive and did not ban it. They did, however, require all products that contain saccharin to have a warning label.
The sweet taste of aspartame was also discovered accidently. In 1965, James Schlatter was working on an anti-ulcer drug and inadvertently spilled some on his hand. When he licked his finger to pick up a piece of paper he noticed a sweet taste. After several years of intensive testing Schlatter and his parent company G.D. Searle & Co. were issued U.S. patent 3,492,131. The sweetener was approved for use in the United States in 1980. By 1993, annual worldwide sales of aspartame reached $705 million.
Various other artificial sweeteners have been submitted to the FDA for approval. In 1994, acesulfame-K was approved. Sucralose was approved in 1999. Other sweeteners that are waiting for FDA approval include alitame and neotame.
Saccharin was the first artificial sweetener to be discovered. It is also called 2,3-dihydro-3-oxobenzisosulfonazole and is represented by the chemical formula C6H4CONHSO2. Saccharin is a white, crystalline powder that can be as much as 500 times sweeter than sucrose. In high concentrations it has a bitter taste, but it is sweet in more dilute solutions. Saccharin is not metabolized by the human digestive system so it does not provide any caloric content. It is used in a variety of products such as toothpaste, mouthwash, sugarless gum, table-top sweetener, yogurt, and fruit-based products.
Aspartame is an odorless, white crystalline powder derived from two amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine. It is represented by the chemical formula C14H18N2O5 and is also known by its chemical name N-L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine-1-methyl ester. It is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar and can be easily dissolved in water. It has a sweet taste without a bitter aftertaste and contributes a relatively small number of calories when it is eaten. Aspartame is approved as a table-top sweetener and can be used in frozen desserts, gelatins, beverages, and chewing gum. Since aspartame tends to interact with other food flavors, its flavor may not be identical to sugar.
Acesulfame-K is a compound that is about 200 times sweeter than sucrose. It has good heat stability and can be incorporated into baking products. It was approved for use in the United States in 1994. Unlike saccharin and aspartame, acesulfame-K does not require health warnings. It is typically used in chewing gum, pudding desserts, instant coffee, and dairy products.
Sucralose is a modified sucrose molecule that is about 600 times sweeter than sugar. It was approved for use in foods and beverages in 1999 in the United States. It is produced from sucrose using a patented process that replaces the three hydroxyl groups (OH) with three chlorine atoms. This modified sugar is minimally absorbed by the body and passes out unchanged. It is stable in heat and can be used in food products that are baked or fried.
FDA approval is pending for two other compounds. Alitame, a compound that is 2,000 times sweeter than sucrose, has been used in Australia, New Zealand, and China for some years. When approved, it may be used in baked goods, beverages, frozen desserts, and chewing gum. Neotame is another artificial sweetener that is expected to be approved. It is reported to be 8,000 times sweeter than sucrose. At that potency it promises to be a cost-effective ingredient for the food industry.
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