Here is the “List of Artificial Sweeteners” their uses and side effects. It is a sub-topic of “chemistry in everyday life” .
Table of Contents
What are artificial sweeteners?
➧ The Artificial sweetener is a type of chemical compound. These are many times sweeter than ordinary sugar. Artificial sweeteners used as an alternative to table sugar. It has zero calories or almost no calories.
Artificial Sweetening Agents
➧ All the compounds that are used as a substitute for sugar to sweeten food is called artificial sweetening agents..
➧ “Saccharin is the first popular artificial sweetening agent.
➧ Another most commonly used artificial sweetening agent is Aspartame, Alitame and Sucralose etc.
Some commonly used artificial sweeteners with Sweetness value/Index
➧ Aspartame ➥ 100
➧ Acesulfame potassium ➥ 200
➧ Dulcin ➥ 250
➧ Glucin ➥ 300
➧ Saccharin ➥ 550
➧ Sucralose ➥ 600
➧ Alitame ➥2000
➧ Neotame ➥ 10,000
List of Artificial Sweeteners with trade name
| Artificial sweeteners name | Trade name |
|---|---|
| Sucralose | • Kaltame
• Splenda • 1, 4,6′-Trichlorogalactosucrose • Trichlorosucrose • Equal Sucralose • NatraTaste Gold |
| Saccharin | • Sweet’N Low
• Sodium Saccharin • Equal Saccharin • Acid saccharin • Necta Sweet • Sweet Twin |
| Neotame | • NutraSweet |
| Aspartame-acesulfame salt | • TwinSweet |
| Cyclamate | • Calcium cyclamate
• Cologran • Sucaryl |
| Erythritol | • Sugar alcohol
• Zerose • ZSweet |
| Xylitol | • Sugar alcohol
• Smart Sweet • Xylipure • Xylosweet |
| Mannitol | • Sugar alcohol |
| Tagatose | • Natrulose |
| Sorbitol | • Sugar alcohol
• D-glucitol • D-glucitol syrup |
| Polydextrose | • Sugar alcohol (Derived from glucose and sorbitol) |
| Lactitol | • Sugar alcohol |
| Maltitol | • Sugar alcohol
• Maltitol Powder • Lesys • Maltitol Syrup • SweetPearl • Hydrogenated High Maltose Content Glucose Syrup • Hydrogenated Maltose • MaltiSweet (hard to find online to buy) |
| Glycerol | •Glycerin
• Glycerine |
| Isomalt | • Decomalt
• Sugar alcohol • Hydrogenated Isomaltulose • Isomaltitol • ClearCut Isomalt • DiabetiSweet (also contains Acesulfame-K) |
| Glycyrrhizin | • Licorice |
| Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate (HSH) | • Sugar Alcohol |
| Aspartame | • NutraSweet
• Canderel • Equal Classic • APM • AminoSweet • NatraTaste Blue |
| Acesulfame potassium | • Nutrinova
• ACK (Acesulfame Potassium) • Sweet One • Ace K • Equal Spoonful • Sunett |
Important points
• Aspartame is 200 times sweeter than sucrose.
• Aspartame is composed of aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol.
• Alitame is about 2000 times sweeter than sucrose of table sugar.
• Sucralose is 600 times sweeter than ordinary sugarortablesugar
• Sucralose is trichloro derivative of sucrose. (produced by chlorination of sucrose)
• The chemical name of Saccharin is Ortho-sulphobenzimide.
• Saccharin is about 550 times as sweet as cane sugar.
Health benefits of artificial sweeteners
➧ Diabetes
☛ Artificial sweeteners are not carbohydrates like sugar, so artificial sweeteners do not raise blood sugar levels like carbohydrates.
➧ Zero calories
☛ Ordinary sugar has a lot of calories. One teaspoon of sugar contains about 16 calories. That’s why most of the people like artificial sweeteners, they have almost no calories.
➧ Tooth decay
☛ Ordinary sugar sticks easily to the gums. This sugar stuck in the teeth easily breeds bacteria. These bacteria convert the sugar that accumulates on the teeth into acid, which causes tooth decay. Artificial sugar cannot cause tooth decay because artificial sugar cannot be converted to acid by bacteria.
Artificial sweeteners side effects
Despite the many uses of synthetic or artificial sweeteners, it has some health issues of its own. Artificial sweeteners are actually bad for our health and the environment.
The side effects of artificial sweeteners include:
• headaches
• depression
• dizziness
• increased risk of cancer
• rashes
• bloating
• weight gain due to increased appetite
• impact on gut health
• increased diabetes risk
• nausea
• diarrhea
• digestive problems
