Food Additives


A guide to food sweeteners and colors

1879 was the year when the sweeteners first made its appearance. But the problem started in 1970 with the development of more sweeteners which threatened health and hygiene. Nowadays the sweeteners are the one of the hottest topics to discuss about in the multitudes of food forums and conferences. Let us study the 'evil' sweeteners, as some have labeled them, more elaborately.

There are different sweeteners that are used in food such as saccharin, sugar alcohols, stevia, aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame.

Saccharin- it is the most authentic of all sweeteners and perhaps the oldest. In the past it was the protagonist of a controversy which began when it was seen that rats were detected with urinary cancer after being fed with saccharin. But later it was proved that cancer only takes place when saccharine is consumed in high doses. The risk of high doses is also limited as saccharine is nowadays only used in processed drinks like coffee and food, moreover with the arrival of other flavors in the market, saccharine is out of vogue now. But saccharine should be avoided by pregnant or breastfeeding women.

Sugar alcohols - hold on! Sugar alcohols don't intoxicate you! They are just sugar but with different chemical composition. These sweeteners that don't change blood sugar levels are found in foods such as ice creams and cookies and even in toothpastes.

Stevia - this plant derived sweetener though used in food and drinks, are banned as sweeteners in the USA but are allowed there to be sold as dietary supplement. This is because some experiments have alluded to some concerns with its effects in animals. But the same effects were not found when tested on humans.

Aspartame (Nutrasweet) - a derivative of phenylalanine and amino acid, this sweetener is used widely from 1981 in innumerable food items and diet soft drinks as it is devoid of any carbs, calories, proteins or fats. But person with 'phenylketonuria' disorder must avoid it. But some claim that aspartame is not safe to consume as it is the writer of every malady on can think of- cancer, heart attack, brain tumors, deaths-for everything aspartame is held guilty. But a wide array of medical studies has nullified these myths.

Sucralose (splenda) - sucralose is produced by chlorinating sugar and has a resemblance with aspartame both containing no fat, protein, calorie or carb or not influencing the blood sugar level. This sweetener which is 600 times sweeter than sucrose is used in soft drink, candy bars and many other food products.

Acesulfame - it is 200 times sweeter than sugar and has been created from a potassium salt 6-methyl-1,2,3- oxathiazine-4(3H)-one-2,2-dioxide. The body doesn't process this sweetener.

Like sweetener, today, the color in food and beverages are of real concern to us. The colors sometimes do influence the taste of food, it can affect the perception of what we drink or eat. The colorings are divided in to two by the FDA- certified which are artificially created & exempt from certification that are made from nature like vegetable, plants.