Artificial sweeteners have an important role to play in planning diets for people with diabetes and obesity. Artificial sweeteners are generally considered as those substances which on a weight basis are substantially sweeter than the common carbohydrate sweeteners such as sucrose. When a nutritive sweetener is used an appropriate adjustment of calories can be made in exchange of certain foods, mainly carbohydrates. On the other hand when a non-nutritive sweetener is used, no adjustment is required.
Their sweetness intensities range from about 30 times to 8000 times that of sucrose. Thus they have fewer calories than table sugar. Being cheaper and beneficial to people having problems with sugar metabolism, their consumption has amplified significantly over the last few decades.
Examples include saccharin, aspartame and acesulfame K (ace-K) which are up to 200 times sweeter than sucrose (normal table sugar). Sucralose and neotame have been more recently approved and are about 600 and 7000 times sweeter than sugar respectively.
They are now common ingredients in a wide range of foods and beveragesincluding soft drinks, candies, chewing gum, desserts like pudding, gelatin, and ice cream. In addition, several artificial sweeteners are available for use as table-top sweeteners, which consumers add directly to coffee, tea, fruits, breakfast cereal, etc.
Artificial
sweeteners in food and beverages
