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Intense food sweeteners

Uses for intense sweeteners

Sugar (sucrose) is a commonly used sweetener and food ingredient. Some other foods such as honey and fruit juices or concentrates contain sugars and may also sweeten foods.

Intense sweeteners replace the sweetness normally provided by sugar to provide low calorie or sugar free alternatives. Intense sweeteners cannot always simply replace sugar or other sweeteners as these may also perform other functions in food such as humectants, thickeners or emulsifiers. Sugars also often contribute to the texture or consistency of products.

Unlike sugar, intense sweeteners do not contain much energy. Therefore, they are suitable for people with medical conditions affected by sugar – such as diabetes or obesity. Their use can reduce tooth decay caused by sugars.

‘Intense’ vs ‘artificial’ sweeteners

Intense sweeteners are often called ‘artificial sweeteners’ but some are naturally occurring plant extracts such as steviol glycosides from the stevia plant.

Regulation of intense sweeteners

Intense sweeteners are food additives and are regulated under the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) carries out safety assessments based on evaluations and acceptable daily intake levels set by the World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization’s Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).

How to identify intense sweeteners

Intense sweeteners are identified by name and international code numbers. Where they are used in a food they are listed in the ingredients list under the class name ‘Intense sweetener’ followed by their name or number.

Types of intense sweetener

Acesulphame potassium (950)

Acesulphame potassium (Acesulphame-K) is 200 times sweeter than sugar, with zero to low calories. Acesulphame potassium is used as a tabletop sweetener, and in many food and drinks, confectionery, canned food, oral hygiene products and pharmaceuticals. Acesulphame-K is often combined with other sweeteners because it enhances the sweet taste of foods and beverages. It has excellent shelf life and does not break down when cooked or baked.

Acesulphame-K is not metabolised or stored in the body. After it is consumed, it is quickly absorbed by the body and then rapidly excreted unchanged. It does not contribute to tooth decay. The extremely small amount of potassium in Acesulphame-K is found in most foods and is an essential mineral for maintaining good health. Brand names include Sunett and Sweet One.

Alitame (956)

Alitame is about 2000 times sweeter than sugar, about 10 times sweeter than aspartame and has no after taste. Unlike aspartame, alitame does not contain phenylalanine, and can therefore be used by people with phenylketonuria. It is used in a wide range of products including toiletries and pharmaceuticals, but rarely as a sweetener in foods or drink. Brand name: Alcame.

Aspartame (951)

Aspartame is more than 200 times sweeter than sugar. It is used in low-energy or sugar-free foods, including carbonated soft drinks, yoghurt and confectionery. Aspartame has been safely used for at least 25 years as a sugar alternative, and is one of the most studied sweeteners on the market. Unlike sugar, aspartame does not contribute to tooth decay.

Aspartame does carry a risk for a small number of people with the rare inherited disorder phenylketonuria (PKU). They are advised not to consume aspartame because they are unable to metabolise the amino acid phenylalanine, which could accumulate to potentially harmful levels.

People with PKU need to follow a very strict diet to limit their intake of phenylalanine, which is found in all proteins as well as aspartame. To keep these people safe, or for anyone consuming excess levels, all products containing aspartame must have a warning about phenylalanine. Brand names of aspartame include NutraSweet and Equal.

See NZFSA’s fact sheet Aspartame for more information.

Aspartame-acesulphame salt (962)

Aspartame-acesulphame salt is about 350 times sweeter than sugar and is produced by combining aspartame and acesulphame potassium under acidic conditions. It is used in a range of foods, drinks, confectionery and chewing gum. Brand name: Twinsweet.

Cyclamate (952)

Cyclamate is 30–50 times sweeter than sugar. It is used in confectionery and many foods and drinks. It is often paired with saccharin to make the food product taste better. Brand names include Sucaryl, Assugrin and Sugar Twin.

Neotame (961)

Neotame is 7,000 to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar, depending on how it’s used in food, and has no calories. Neotame is used in a range of food, canned fruit, drinks and confectionery. Neotame is structurally similar to aspartame. However, the potential release of phenylalanine from neotame is so limited that a warning for patients with PKU is not necessary. Brand name: NutraSweet.

Saccharin (954)

Saccharin is about 300 times sweeter than sugar and has no calories. It is used in many foods and drinks, confectionery, medicines and toothpaste. Brand names include Sweet’N Low, Sweet Twin, and Necta Sweet.

Stevia (Steviol glycosides) (960)

Stevia is a naturally occurring sweetener from plants in the sunflower family. It has a slower onset and longer duration of taste than sugar. It is 250-300 times sweeter than sugar and has been used for several years in a number of countries as sweeteners for a range of food products.

Sucralose (955)

Sucralose is about 600 times sweeter than sugar and has no calories. It is commonly used in food, drinks and confectionery. Brand names include Splenda and Sugar Free Natura.

Thaumatin (957)

Thaumatin is an intensely sweet tasting protein (about 100,000 times sweeter than sugar) originally extracted from a West African plant. It has been marketed as Talin, and can now be manufactured by genetically modified bacteria. Thaumatin tastes different from sugar because the sweet sensation builds very slowly and lingers for a long time leaving a liquorice-like aftertaste.

Other sweeteners

There are a range of food additives other than intense sweeteners that act as sweeteners but are generally less sweet than sugar and are often used for their other properties, eg as emulsifiers, thickeners or humectants.

These are sugar alcohols which cannot be completely digested, so eating too much can lead to diarrhoea. Certain sugar alcohols used as sweeteners are required to have an advisory statement that excess consumption may have a laxative effect.

Other sweeteners include: Erythritol, Isomalt, Sorbitol, Mannitol, Xylitol, Maltitol, and Lactitol.

Related links

NZFSA fact sheet Aspartame

Updated March 2009