Sugar substitutes: Saccharin, Aspartame, Sucralose, and

Neotame

Critique Paper

Submitted to:

Mrs. Maria Divina P. Velasco

Submitted by:

Ma. Fornielynza A. Olita

BSN – 1B

Date submitted:

October 14, 2019

 Sugar substitutes

A sugar substitute is a food additive that provides a sweet taste like that of sugar while

containing significantly less food energy than sugar-based sweeteners, making it a zero-calorie or

low-calorie sweetener. Artificial sweeteners may be derived through manufacturing of plant

extracts or processed by chemical synthesis. Some of sugar substitute include:

Saccharin

It is available under the brand name Sweet 'N Low®, Sweet Twin® and Sugar Twin®.

Saccharin is the oldest artificial sweetener on the market. Saccharin is 300 times sweeter than table

sugar. According to the FDA, there were safety concerns in the 1970s after research found a link

between saccharin and bladder cancer in laboratory rats. However, more than 30 human studies

now support the safety of saccharin, and the National Institutes of Health no longer consider this

sweetener to have the potential to cause cancer.

Aspartame

It is available under the brand name Equal® or NutraSweet®. Aspartame is around 180

times sweeter than sugar, and manufacturers add it to a wide variety of food products, including

diet soda.

Unlike sucralose, aspartame is not a good sugar substitute for baking. Aspartame breaks

down at high temperatures, so people generally only use it as a tabletop sweetener. It is also not

safe for people with a rare genetic disorder known as phenylketonuria.

 The FDA consider aspartame to be safe at an ADI of 50 mg/kg of body weight. Therefore,

a person who weighs 60 kg, or 132 lb, could consume 75 packets of aspartame in the form of a

tabletop sweetener.

Sucralose

It is available under the brand name Splenda® and Equal Sucralose. Sucralose is 600 times

sweeter than sugar, an artificial sweetener made from sucrose. Sucralose is very versatile. It can

be used as a replacement for sugar in cooking and baking or used with sugar in recipes. It is found

in many low-calorie foods and beverages, such as baked goods and other desserts, canned fruits,

dairy products and syrups. Sucralose may also be used as a tabletop sweetener. It is often found in

a yellow packet.

The FDA have approved sucralose as a general-purpose sweetener and set an ADI of 5

mg/kg of body weight. A person weighing 60 kg, or 132 lb, can safely consume 23 packets of a

tabletop sweetener version of sucralose in a day.

However, recent studies have raised some health concerns. A 2016 study found that male

mice that consumed sucralose were more likely to develop malignant tumors. The researchers note

that more studies are necessary to confirm the safety of sucralose.

Neotame

It is available under the brand name Newtame. Neotame is a low-calorie artificial

sweetener that is about 7,000–13,000 times sweeter than table sugar. This sweetener can tolerate

high temperatures, making it suitable for baking.

 The FDA approved neotame in 2002 as a general-purpose sweetener and flavor enhancer

for all foods except for meat and poultry. They state that more than 113 animal and human studies

support the safety of neotame and have set an ADI for neotame of 0.3 mg/kg of body weight. This

is equivalent to a 60-kg, or 132-lb, person consuming 23 packets of a tabletop sweetener version

of neotame.