sweetener fact sheet

8/8/2019 Sweetener Fact Sheet

1/7

The Straight Facts on Sweeteners

Sweeteners Play an Important Role in Our Food and Beverage Selection

and Enjoyment.

Researchshowsthatweareinherentlydrawntosweettastesmorethananyothertastesensation.Infact,

itissweetnessthatdirectsnewbornmammalstowardsafeandnourishingfoodsanddrinks.Becauseof

this,humanshavesoughtsweetfoodsanddrinksthroughouthistoryandsweetnesscontinuestobeastrong

factorinourfoodandbeverageselections.Today,ourinherentdesireforsweetnesscanbesatisedbya

varietyofregular,low-andno-caloriesweeteners.

Benets o Sweeteners Studiesshowpeopleconsumemoreliquidwhenitsavored,versusplainwater.1Thishelpsusconsume

greateramounts,makingiteasiertokeepthebodyfullyhydrated.Sweetenershelpprovideavorto

sparklingbeverages.Mostsparklingbeverages,bothregularandlow-andno-calorie,containbetween

85percentand99percentwater.

Somesweeteners,suchastablesugarandhighfructosecornsyrup,provideglucose.Thissimplesugar

istheprimarysourceofcaloricfuelthatyourbodyusesforenergy,andinfact,glucoseistheprimaryfuel

usedbythebrain.

Important to Remember

Itsimportanttorememberthattheenergyobtainedfromfoodandbeverages,suchastheenergyprovidedbytablesugarandhighfructosecornsyrup,ismeasuredincalories,andallcaloriescount,

includingthosethatcomefromourbeverages.

Allfoodsandbeveragescantintoanactive,healthylifestylethatincludesasensible,balanceddiet

combinedwithregularphysicalactivity.


2/7

There Are Two Diferent Types o Sweeteners:

Caloric Sweeteners and Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners.

CALORIC SWEETENERS

Caloricsweetenersarenutritivesweeteners,andrangefromsimplesugarsfructoseandglucoseto

commontablesugar,molasses,honey,agaveandhighfructosecornsyrup.Theyprovidecarbohydrate

calories,whicharefuelthatsuppliesenergynecessaryfordailyactivities.

Table Sugar (Sucrose)

Tablesugarismadefromsugarcaneorsugarbeets.Sucroseisthetechnicalnamefortablesugar.Itisoftensimplyreferredtoassugar.

Tablesugarisacarbohydrateandprovides4calories(17kilojoules)pergram.

Dependingonthefoodinwhichitisused,tablesugarcanpreserve,enhancetheavorof,oraddcolorto

food.Inbeverages,sugargivesasatisfyingsensationandenhancestaste.2

Thetablesugaryouuseeverydayisidenticaltothesucrosenaturallyfoundinfruitsandvegetables.3

Theamountofsugarandcaloriesinsparklingbeveragesisaboutthesameastheamountsfoundinmany

fruitjuices.(Note:Juicesoftencontainadditionalnutrients,suchasimportantvitaminsandminerals.)

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

HFCSisacarbohydratesugar.Itprovides4calories(17kilojoules)pergram.

HFCSismadefromcornandisusedtosweetenmostcaloricsparklingbeveragesintheUnitedStates

andsomeothercountries.

DierenttypesofHFCShavedierentproportionsofglucoseandfructose.TheHFCSmostcommonly

usedinbeverages(HFCS-55)isabouthalffructose(55%)andhalfglucose(45%),verysimilartotable

sugar,sotheyhavenearlyidenticalsweetnessandaremetabolizedinasimilarmannerbythebody.4

Onceconsumed,thesugarcarbohydratesfromthesesources(HFCSandsugar)arebrokendowninto

glucoseandfructosebeforebeingabsorbedintoyourbloodstream.Afterbeingabsorbed,yourbodyhas

nowayofknowingwhetherthefructoseorglucosecamefromsucrose,HFCS,honeyorfruit.

Dependingonthefoodinwhichitisused,HFCScanpreserveandenhancetheavoroffood.Inbeverages,HFCSgivesasatisfyingsensationandhelpsmaintainaconsistentsweetavor.5

Whenitcomestosatisfyingyourappetite,HFCSisaseectiveastablesugar.Infact,two2007studies

comparingsparklingbeveragessweetenedwithHFCSorsugarshowednodierenceinhunger,satietyor

short-termenergyintake.6,7

TheAmericanMedicalAssociationrecentlyconrmedthatHFCSisnomorelikelytocontributetoobesity

thantablesugarorotherfull-caloriesweeteners.8

The Straight Facts on Sweeteners (Cont.)


3/7

LOW- and NO-CALORIE SWEETENERS

Low-andno-caloriesweetenerssuchasaspartame,sucraloseandsteviaextractprovideasweettaste

withfewornocalories.Mostlow-andno-caloriesweetenersareseveralhundredtimessweeterthancaloric

sweeteners,whichmeansonlyalittlebitisneededtoreplacealargeramountofsugar,HFCSorothercaloric

sweetener.

Researchhasshownthatpeoplewhouselow-andno-calorie,sugar-freefoodsandbeverageshavebetter

qualitydiets.9

Astudyofmorethan9,000adultsfoundthatpeopleusinglow-andno-calorie,sugar-freefoodsand

beveragesconsumemorevitaminsandmineralsandeatfewercaloriesoverall.10

AconsumersurveybytheCalorieControlCouncilfoundthatthenumberonereasonpeopleuselow-and

no-caloriesweetenersistostayinoverallbetterhealth.Benetsinclude:

Low-andno-caloriesweetenerscanhelpreduceenergyintakewhenusedinplaceofhigher-

calorieoptions.

Low-andno-caloriesweetenershelpmakereduced-caloriedietsmorepalatable,whichcan

helpwithlong-termweightmaintenance.11

Thesafetyoflow-andno-caloriesweetenershasalsobeenextensivelystudied.Qualiedscienticexperts

haveestablishedasafelevelofconsumptionforthesesweetenerscalledtheAcceptableDailyIntake(ADI).

Thelow-andno-caloriesweeteneramountsactuallyusedinfoodsandbeverages,orEstimatedDailyIntake

(EDI),arefarbelowADIlevels.12

Althoughlow-andno-caloriesweetenershavebeensafelyusedandenjoyedbyconsumersallovertheworld

formorethanacentury,somehavetriedtolinkthemtocancerandotherillnesses.

TheU.S.NationalCancerInstitutehasconcludedthatlow-andno-caloriesweetenersarenotrelatedto

cancerriskinhumans.13

TheAmericanDieteticAssociationsaysarangeofbothfull-calorieandlow-orno-caloriesweetenerscan

besafelyenjoyedaspartofasensible,balanceddiet.14

TheManaging Sweetnessconferences,heldwithnumerousexpertsaroundtheglobe,haveclearlyasserted

thatlow-calorieandcalorie-freesweetenersregulatedbyinternationalhealthandfoodsafetyauthoritiesare

safeforallagegroups,andareagoodoptionforhelpingconsumerstoenjoysweetness. 15,16,17



4/7

Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K or acesulfame K)18

Ace-Kis200timessweeterthantablesugar,andbecauseitisnotmetabolizedbythebody,itdoesnot

contributecaloriestothediet.

Ace-Kblendswellwithotherlow-caloriesweetenerslikesucraloseandaspartame.Usingblendsin

beveragesnotonlyhelpsgivethemamoresugar-liketaste,butalsoreducesthetotalamountoflow-

caloriesweetenerneeded.

TheU.S.FoodandDrugAdministration(FDA),theJointFAO/WHOExpertCommitteeonFoodAdditives

(JECFA),andtheScienticCommitteeonFoodoftheEuropeanUnion(SCF)reviewedtheavailable

researchonace-Kandconcludedthatitissafeforuseinfoodsandbeverages.

Productswithace-Kcanbefoundinabout90dierentcountries.Itisusedinthousandsof foodsand

beverages,includingtabletopsweeteners,desserts,puddings,bakedgoods,softdrinks,candiesand

cannedfoods.

Aspartame19

Aspartameis200timessweeterthantablesugarwithnounpleasantaftertaste.

Aspartamehasbeenusedbyconsumersaroundtheworldforover30yearsinmorethan6,000food

andbeverageproducts,rangingfromsparklingbeveragesandchewinggumtogelatinsandsugar-free

coughdrops.

Aspartameiscomposedoftwonaturallyoccurringaminoacids,asparticacidandphenylalanine.Bothoftheseaminoacidsarefoundnaturallyinprotein-containingfoods,suchasdairyproducts,fruits,

vegetablesandtheirjuicesandmeats.

Theseaminoacidsarethebuildingblocksof proteinandaremetabolizednormallybythebody.*

*Aspartame contains phenylalanine and should not be consumed by people with a rare genetic

disorder called phenylketonuria. The regulations of most countries require that food andbeverage products that contain aspartame carry a statement on the label alerting people with

this condition to the presence of aspartame.

Itisoneofthemostthoroughlyresearchedfoodingredientsinusetoday.

Numerousscienticstudieshaveconrmeditssafetyanditispermittedinmorethan100countries.AuthoritiesthathaveapprovedaspartameincludetheU.S.FoodandDrug

Administration(FDA);theAgenceFranaisedeScuritSanitairedesAliments[FrenchFood

SafetyAgency](AFSSA);theJointFAO/WHOExpertCommitteeonFoodAdditives(JECFA);

andtheEuropeanFoodSafetyAuthority(EFSA).

TheEuropeanFoodSafetyAuthority(EFSA)reconrmedthesafetyofaspartamein2006and

in2009.In2010,EFSAonceagainreviewedthesafetyofaspartameanddidnotndanynew

evidencetoquestionthesafetyofthisingredient. 20



5/7

Cyclamate21

Cyclamateis30timessweeterthantablesugar.

Independentscientistsof theJointFAO/WHOExpertCommitteeonFoodAdditives(JECFA)have

consistentlyarmedthesafetyofcyclamateforuseasasweetenerinfoodsandbeverages.

Discoveredin1937,cyclamateispermittedforuseinfoodsandbeveragesinmorethan50countries

worldwide,includingCanada,AustraliaandMexico.22

Cyclamateisbestusedinbeverageswhenblendedwithbothaspartameandace-K.23

Cyclamatehelpsmasktheaftertasteof othersugarsubstituteslikesaccharin,improvingtheoveralltaste

offoodsandbeveragescontainingthissweetener.

Erythritol24

Erythritolisanaturalsugaralcoholthatis60percentto70percentassweetastablesugarandhas

virtuallynocalories;itexhibitsacleansweettastewithasugar-likesweetnessperception.

ErythritoliswidelyusedinfoodsandbeveragesintheU.S.,Japan,MexicoandBrazil;additionally,

petitionshavebeensubmittedtogovernmentalagenciesaroundtheworldtoexpanditsuse.

Neotame25

Neotameisacalorie-freesweetenerthatis7,000to13,000timessweeterthantablesugar.Itisoften

blendedwithaspartameand/orace-K.

Neotameisusedinmorethan1,000foodsandbeveragesworldwide.26

Numerousscienticstudieshavebeenconductedtoconrmthesafetyof neotameforallsegmentsof

thepopulation,includingchildren,pregnantandlactatingwomen,andpeoplewithdiabetes.27

Saccharin28

Saccharinisacalorie-freesweetenerthathasbeenusedinfoodsandbeveragesforoveracenturyand

continuestobewidelyused.

Saccharinis300timessweeterthantablesugar.

Saccharinispermittedinmorethan100countriesaroundtheworld.

Saccharinissafeforallpopulations,includingchildren,peoplewithdiabetes,andwomenwhoarepregnantorlactating.

Stevia Extract29

Steviaextractisazero-calorie,great-tastingsweetenerfromnaturaloriginsthesteviaplant.Itis200

timessweeterthantablesugar.

Itdoesnotprovidecarbohydratecaloriesandthushasnocaloricimpactonthefoodsandbeveragesin

whichitisused.



6/7

Steviaextractcomesfromthebest-tastingpartof thestevialeafandismadeusingaprocesssimilarto

thatusedtoextractothernaturalavorings,likevanilla,spearmintandcinnamon.

TheJointFAO/WHOExpertCommitteeonFoodAdditives(JECFA)andTheEuropeanFoodSafety

Authority(EFSA)determinedthatstevia-basedsweetenersaresafeforuseinfoodsandbeverages.

UndertheregulationsoftheU.S.FoodandDrugAdministration(FDA),steviaextracthasGenerally

RecognizedAsSafe(GRAS)status.

Ithasalonghistoryof useinseveralcountries,includingJapanandParaguay.Itispermittedforusein

manycountriesincludingtheU.S.,France,Mexico,Korea,Taiwan,China,Russia,Australia,Argentina,

NewZealand,Colombia,Peru,Uruguay,Brazil,SwitzerlandandMalaysia.InEurope(exceptforFrance),steviaispermittedasadietarysupplementbutisnotyetpermittedforuseasasweetenerinfoodsand

beverages.InFrance,steviaextract(rebaudiosideA)ispermittedforuseasasweeteneroffoodsand

beverages.InCanada,steviaextractissoldasanaturalhealthproduct.

Sucralose30

Sucralose,whichisderivedfromsugar,is600timessweeterthantablesugaranddoesnotcontribute

caloriestothediet.

Numerousscienticstudiesconductedovera20-yearperiodhavedemonstratedthesafetyofsucralose.

Thesestudieshavebeenindependentlyreviewedbyexpertswhohaveagreedthatsucraloseissafefor

everyone,includingpregnantandnursingwomen,childrenandpeoplewithdiabetes.

Sucralosewasdeterminedtobesafebyanindependentgroupof scienticexpertsattheJointFAO/WHO

ExpertCommitteeonFoodAdditives(JECFA).In1999,theU.S.FoodandDrugAdministration(FDA)

expandedtheusesforsucralose,approvingitasageneralpurposesweetener,whichmeansitcanbe

usedinanyfoodatGoodManufacturingPractice(GMP)levels.

Sucraloseispermittedforuseinfoodsandbeveragesinmorethan40countries,includingtheUnited

States,Canada,AustraliaandMexico.

For more inormation about regular, low- and no-calorie sweeteners, visit

The Coca-Cola Companys Beverage Institute or Health & Wellness atwww.thebeverageinstitute.org.

###

https://teamspaces.ko.com/kots/sparked/pages/contacts.aspxhttps://teamspaces.ko.com/kots/sparked/pages/contacts.aspx


7/7

1 InstituteofMedicineoftheNationalAcademyofSciences.DietaryReferenceIntakesforwater,potassium,sodium,chlorideandsulfate.2004.

2 CornRenersAssociation.HighFructoseCornSyrupvsSugar-UsesandBenets.Availableat:http://www.sweetsurprise.com/learning-center/hfcs-vs-sugar/uses-benets.

3 SugarAssociation.FAQs.Availableat:http://www.sugar.org/faqs/.

4 BIWH.HittingtheSweetSpot:InanActive,HealthyLifestyle.July2009.

5 CornRenersAssociation.HighFructoseCornSyrupinFoodsandBeverages.Availableat:http://www.sweetsurprise.com/hfcs-and-your-family/your-childs-diet/hfcs-in-foods.

6 MelansonKJ,ZukleyL,LowndesJ,etal.Eectsofhigh-fructosecornsyrupandsucroseconsumptiononcirculatingglucose,insulin,leptin,andghrelinandonappetiteinnormal-weight

women.Nutrition.2007;23(2):103-12.

7 MonsivaisP,PerrigueMM,DrewnowskiA.Sugarsandsatiety:doesthetypeofsweetenermakeadierence?Am J Clin Nutr.2007;86:116-23.

8 AmericanMedicalAssociation.Report3oftheCouncilonScienceandPublicHealth(A-08).TheHealthEectsofHighFructoseSyrup.Availableat:http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/

pub/upload/mm/443/csaph3a08-summary.pdf.

9 Sigman-GrantMJ,HsiehG.Reporteduseofreduced-sugarfoodsandbeveragesreecthigh-qualitydiets.J of Food Science.2005;70:S42-46.

10 Sigman-GrantMJ,HsiehG.Reporteduseofreduced-sugarfoodsandbeveragesreecthigh-qualitydiets.J of Food Science.2005;70:S42-46.

11 CalorieControlCouncil.BenetsofLow-CalorieSweeteners.Availableat:http://www.caloriecontrol.org/health-professional-library/benets-of-low-calorie-sweeteners.

12 AmericanDieteticAssociation.Useofnutritiveandnonnutritivesweeteners.J Am Diet Assoc.2004;104:255-275.

13 NationalCancerInstitute.ArticialSweetenersandCancer.Availableat:http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/articial-sweeteners.

14 AmericanDieteticAssociation.Useofnutritiveandnonnutritivesweeteners.J Am Diet Assoc.2004;104:255-275.

15 ScienticConferenceonUnderstandingandManagingSweetness.ManagingSweetness.2009.Availableat:http://www.ilsi-india.org/Conference-on-Understanding-and-Managing-

Sweetness-on-17-September-2009/Recommendations.pdf.

16 GiordKD,Baer-SinnottS,HeverlingLN.Managingandunderstandingsweetness,common-sensesolutionsbasedonthescienceofsugars,sugarsubstitutes,andsweetness.NutritionToday.2009;44:1-7.

17 UnionofEuropeanBeveragesAssociations.ManagingSweetness.2006.

18 BIHW.TheLowdownonLow-CalorieSweeteners,Page16,July2009.


20 EuropeanFoodSafetyAuthority.Aspartame.Availableat:http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/faqs/faqaspartame.htm.

21 CalorieControlCouncil.Cyclamate.Availableat:http://www.caloriecontrol.org/sweeteners-and-lite/sugar-substitutes/cyclamate.

22 BIHW.Cyclamate.Availableat:http://thebeverageinstitute.org/ingredients/cyclamate.shtml.

23 DuBoisGE.TheChemicalSensesinBeveragePerception:RecentLearningsandMysteriesWhichRemain;CondentialPowerPointpresentation,December2008,Slide47.

24 DuBoisGE.NonnutritiveSweeteners.InEncyclopediaofFoodScience&Technology,JohnWiley&Sons,NewYork,NY,2000,2245-2265.Page21.

25 CalorieControlCouncil.Neotame.Availableat:http://www.caloriecontrol.org/sweeteners-and-lite/sugar-substitutes/neotame.

26 Neotame.Availableat:http://www.neotame.com/.

27 FactsAboutNeotame.Availableat:http://www.neotame.com/.




The Straight Facts on Sweeteners

sweetener fact sheet

Documents