Sweeteners

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Sweeteners are substances used as a dietary supplement as a sugar substitute. Designed as one of the "white poisons", over time the industry has come up with an alternative to the sugar beet and cane product. The most current sweeteners are sucrose, fructose, glucose, maltose, lactose, glycerin, saccharin, cyclamate, aspartame, acesulfame, xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol, isomaltitol, lactitol, hydrogenated glucose syrup, glucose-fructose syrup and others.

In general, everyone sweeteners can be divided into two groups: natural and synthetic. Fructose, sorbitol, xylitol are considered natural. They are absorbed by the body completely and, like ordinary sugar, provide a person with energy. Health damage to the human body is minimal, but on the other hand they are very high in calories.

Synthetic sweeteners are saccharin, cyclamate, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucrazite. They have almost no energy value and are not absorbed. The most common and widely used sweeteners are sucrose, glucose, fructose, lactose. About 1,700 natural and synthetic sweeteners are known. Some of them are mixtures of substances. However, when we mention a sweetener, 2 substances most often come to mind - saccharin - E954 and aspartame - E951.

History of sweeteners

The history of sweeteners began in 1879, when in the laboratory of the American professor Remsen worked the Russian emigrant and chemist Konstantin Falberg, who inadvertently discovered the sweet taste of the drug he was developing - sulfaminbenzene acid. Thus, saccharin was synthesized by the sweet compounds of sulfaminbenzolic acid. Twenty years later, it was allowed to sweeten food and drink until today, when saccharin is considered the "oldest sweetener."

Later in history, the production of saccharin was banned due to corporate interests, but during World War II the production of saccharin was revived due to the shortage of ordinary sugar. At that time the taste of the substance was slightly bitter, which today is overcome by modern production technology.

Furthermore, the sweetener industry is developing rapidly. Even today, people around the world, obsessed with low-calorie foods, often consume huge amounts of sweeteners without caring whether it is harmful to them. However, sweeteners are calorie-free, cheap, and a box replaces 6 to 12 kg of sugar.

Types of sweeteners

Saccharin E954

As already mentioned, saccharin is the oldest known artificial sweetener. It is 300 times sweeter than sugar (sucrose) and approximately 2 times sweeter than aspartame and acesulfame K. Saccharin has 1/2 the sweetness of sucralose. After its use, a specific metal-bitter taste is felt in the mouth for some time after consumption. Often this sweetener is combined with cyclamate in a combination of 1:10 to improve the taste. It is not absorbed by the body, there are no calories, but there are studies on laboratory mice that prove its harm.

Aspartame E951

Aspartame is widely used by the food industry. Everything that bears the label "light" is with the addition of aspartame. This means that this sweetener is used in a huge amount of drinks, snacks, sweets, alcohol, desserts and "dietary" foods and even chewing gum. Aspartame, which was discovered in 1965, is used in more than 6,000 products. It was approved in the early 80's as an alternative to saccharin and cyclamate. It is known under the trade name Nutra Sweet. Aspartame breaks down when heated and therefore cannot be used in confectionery.

Under certain technological treatments - pH> 6 (acidic medium), aspartame can decompose to diketopiperazine, which is presumed to be a toxic compound with probable toxic effects. There are many terrible consequences that aspartame can cause. According to a number of studies, it leads to headaches, mental disabilities, even cervical cancer, etc.

Acesulfame K - E950

This sweetener was discovered by chance by German chemist Karl Klaus in 1967 in Germany. It is 180-200 times sweeter than sugar (sucrose), and its sweetness is approximately the same as that of aspartame. Acesulfame, however, is half as sweet as saccharin and has 1/4 of the sweetness of sucralose.

After consumption, this sweetener leaves a specific metal-bitter taste in the mouth for some time after consumption. It does not contain calories and is not absorbed by the body. There is not much information about it - neither that it is carcinogenic, nor that it is harmless.

Cyclamate E952

The cyclamate was discovered in 1937 by Michael Sveda, a graduate of the American University of Illinois. Cyclamate is the sodium or calcium salt of cyclamic acid. It is 30-50 times sweeter than sugar (sucrose), with 1 / 4-1 / 5 weaker taste than aspartame and 8-10 times weaker taste than saccharin and acesulfame. The taste of cyclamen is very similar to that of sugar. It is often mixed with saccharin to improve the taste deficiency. This sweetener has no calories and has low digestibility by the body. Laboratory tests in rats have shown the occurrence of testicular dystrophy after consumption of cyclamate.

Harm from sweeteners

With all our heart we can say that the health benefits of using synthetic sweeteners no, but the list of potential damages is long.

Aspartame is contraindicated for people with diseases that are accompanied by disorders of phenylalanine metabolism. In addition, many studies have shown that the use of sweeteners not only can not lose weight, but vice versa - we can gain weight.

This is due to the mechanism of sugar processing in our body. Taste receptors signal the entry of sugar, then start making insulin and activate the burning of sugar contained in the blood. With this, the sugar level drops significantly. At the same time, the stomach, which has also received a signal for sugar to enter the body, expects carbohydrates.

When consuming sweeteners instead of sugar, the stomach does not receive calories. The body remembers this situation and the next time carbohydrates enter the stomach, there is a powerful discharge of glucose, which leads to the production of insulin and the accumulation of fat. Thus, by reducing calories by consuming consumers, we stimulate our body to gain extra pounds.

Some of the sweeteners, along with aspartame, cause headaches, apathy, nervous disorders and many other unpleasant conditions. Some sweeteners can cause headaches.

Benefits of sweeteners

Benefits for our body from the use of sweeteners can only be taken into account in the case of natural ones. They are completely absorbed by the body. Glucose-fructose syrup is a good substitute for sugar, as is honey. Fructose is also useful in this regard.

Stevia extract is a harmless alternative to sugar, or so it is said for now. Suitable for consumption by people with high blood sugar levels. Stevia improves the functioning of the pancreas, reduces the level of harmful cholesterol in the blood, strengthens capillaries, improves digestion and concentration.