There are many sweeteners that are used instead of sugar extracted from sugarcane, banana, etc., and jaggery, honey, etc., which are found naturally. Among them, they are divided into three categories: sweeteners obtained from carbohydrate sources, calorie-free sweeteners obtained from some plants, and artificial sweeteners. Of these, artificial sweeteners have received the most attention at present. They are also widely used.
Diabetics, people with diabetes-related heart and kidney diseases, and obese people who are in a situation where they should not eat sugar in their diet, use these artificial sweeteners as a substitute for sugar. The reason for this is that when sugar is used, the calories in sugar are converted into glucose, which increases blood sugar levels due to a lack of insulin.
Meanwhile, artificial sweeteners were invented to satisfy their desire and craving for sweet or sugary foods. These artificial sweeteners, which are added to food instead of sugar, do not contain calories. The surprising fact is that these types of artificial sweeteners, called High Intensity Sweeteners , are many times sweeter than regular sugar.
These sweet-tasting substances are also derived from chemicals. Artificial sweeteners are also made from naturally occurring nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, and heterocyclic substances such as saccharin and neotame. These substances do not provide a sweet taste when placed in the mouth, but only after eating.
Low-calorie sweets
Sugar alcohols, also known as polyols, are a type of carbohydrate sweetener that are used as a low-calorie sweetener alternative to sugar. Sorbitol, xylitol, erythritol, maltitol, isomalt, and mannitol are all polyols. Sugar alcohols, which are derived from naturally occurring sweeteners, have high boiling points and are used in various food industries.
These sweeteners, which are white crystals, are easily soluble in water. These polyols, which are formed when sugar is hydrogenated, have a less sweet taste and provide only 50% of the calories. The calorie content of one gram of polyol is 2.4 kcal. Since they increase blood sugar levels very slowly, diabetics can also use them. Middle-aged people can take 40 to 50 grams of polyol per day, and children can take 30 grams.
These polyols are added to biscuits, cookies, bakery products, sweet bars, gummy sweets, etc. specially prepared for diabetics. They are also used as a binder, and flavoring agent in pharmaceutical industries.
Calorie-free sweets
Chemicals are also made from plant extracts, micro-organisms and products produced by fermentation by microorganisms. These artificial sweeteners were discovered by accident in 1879 by Konstantin Pahlenberg while he was working on coal. The first substance was called saccharin. Although the uses of saccharin were not widely known at the time, the shortage of sugar during the World War made people turn to saccharin. As a result, saccharin, which was cheap and sweet, became popular.
The US Food and Drug Administration and the Food Safety and Quality Control Agency of India have approved only six types of artificial sweeteners for use in food: saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame K, sucralose, neotame, and advantame.
Saccharin
Saccharin, the first artificial sweetener to be discovered, is 700 times sweeter than sugar. This white crystalline artificial sweetener is made from the calcium salt or sodium orthobenzene subalbonamide. Saccharin, which is stable in all food processing processes, has a slightly bitter taste. However, when used in combination with the artificial sweeteners aspartame and cyclamate, it has the special ability to mask the bitter taste and give only the sweet taste. It is limited to 15 mg of saccharin per kilogram of body weight per day.
Cyclamate
Cyclamate, an artificial sweetener that is 30 times sweeter than sugar, tastes like sugar and is heat-resistant. Discovered in 1937, this artificial sweetener became popular in the 1950s as it was used to make calorie-free foods. Cyclamate is used as a sweetener in baked goods, ice cream, diet drinks, and fruit jams. However, it has been banned in the United States because studies on rats have shown that saccharin caused kidney tumors in rats given saccharin.
Acesulfame-K
Acesulfame K, which is 200 times sweeter than sugar, is made from acetoacetic acid. This colorless, crystalline substance is not fully absorbed by the digestive tract, and most of it is excreted as waste. Although it is considered a sweetener instead of sugar, acesulfame K, which also gives a slight bitterness and metallic taste, is also added to bakery products because it is able to withstand high heat. Acesulfame K is added to instant coffee, tea, puddings, gelatin desserts, etc. A person can add 15 mg of acesulfame per kilogram of body weight per day.
Alitame
Alitame, which is 2000 times sweeter than regular sugar, is largely excreted in the urine. Due to its high heat resistance, it is directly mixed into bakery products. It is noteworthy that Alitame artificial sweetener is used with permission in countries such as Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand, but is banned in the United States.
Aspartame
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener made from two amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine. This white, odorless crystal is 200 times sweeter than sugar. Since it cannot withstand high temperatures, it cannot be added directly to food products, and is therefore powdered and added to foods.
When this capsule aspartame sweetener is added to bakery products and other sweets, the outer shell melts due to heat, releasing the aspartame sweetener into the food. It is limited to 50 mg of aspartame per kilogram of body weight per day. Another sweetener derived from aspartame is Advantame. It is 20,000 times sweeter than sugar.
Sucralose
This calorie-free artificial sweetener, made from sugar, is 600 times sweeter than sugar. Although food regulators allow sucralose as an artificial sweetener, it is rarely used because studies have shown that it can harm the beneficial bacteria in the colon. A person can consume up to 5 mg of sucralose per kilogram of body weight per day.
Neotame
Neotame is another highly concentrated artificial sweetener derived from the artificial sweetener aspartame. Neotame is a white powder that is heat-resistant. Neotame, which is 13,000 times sweeter than sugar, is added to foods such as soft drinks, fruit juices, energy drinks, dried fruits, and powdered milk because it provides a sweet taste without a bitter aftertaste. A person can add 0.3 mg of neotame per kilogram of their body weight per day.