Sucralose

Diagram illustrating structure of the sucralose molecule

Sucralose is an artificial sweetener known by the trade name Splenda. In the European Union, it is also known under the E number (additive code) E955. It is 500–600 times as sweet as sucrose, making it roughly twice as sweet as saccharin and four times as sweet as aspartame. It is manufactured by the selective chlorination of sucrose, by which three of sucrose's hydroxyl groups are substituted with chlorine atoms to produce 1,6-dichloro-1,6-dideoxy-β-D-fructo-furanosyl 4-chloro-4-deoxy-α-D-galactopyranoside. Unlike aspartame, it is stable under heat and over a broad range of pH conditions, and can be used in baking, or in products that require a longer shelf life.

Contents

1 History
2 Packaging and storage
3 Use in branded products
4 Cooking
5 Safety
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

8.1 Science
8.2 Advocacy
8.3 Criticism
8.4 Press releases

History

Sucralose was discovered in 1976 by scientists from Tate & Lyle, working with researchers at Queen Elizabeth College (now part of King's College London). It was discovered by Leslie Hough and a young Indian chemist, Shashikant Phadnis. The duo were trying to make an insecticide. On a late-summer day, Phadnis was told to test the powder. Phadnis thought that Leslie asked him to taste it; so he did. He found the compound to be ridiculously sweet (the final formula was 600 times sweeter than sugar). They worked with Tate & Lyle for a year before settling down on the final formula. They did not find any use of the compound as an insecticide. [Burkhard Bilger, The New Yorker, May 22, 2006, p 40]

It was first approved for use in Canada (where it has sometimes been marketed as Splendar) in 1991. Subsequent approvals came in Australia in 1993, in New Zealand in 1996, in the United States in 1998, and in the European Union in 2004. As of 2006, it has been approved in over 60 countries, including Brazil, China, India and Japan.

Front of yellow Splenda consumer packet.

Back of yellow Splenda consumer packet.

Tate & Lyle manufactures sucralose at a plant in McIntosh, Alabama, with additional capacity under construction in Singapore. It is used in products such as candy, breakfast bars and soft drinks. Sucralose mixed with maltodextrin and dextrose (both made from corn) as a bulking agent is sold internationally by McNeil Nutritionals under the Splenda brand name. In the United States and Canada, this blend is increasingly found in restaurants in yellow packets, in contrast to the pink packets commonly used by saccharin sweeteners, and the blue packets used by those containing aspartame.

Packaging and storage

Most products that contain sucralose add bulking agents and additional sweetener to bring the product to the approximate volume and texture of an equivalent amount of sugar. This is because sucralose is nearly 600 times sweeter than sucrose (Table Sugar). Pure sucralose is sold in bulk, but not in quantities suitable for individual use. Pure dry sucralose undergoes some decomposition at elevated temperatures; in solution or when blended with maltodextrin, which is made from corn, it is slightly more stable.

Use in branded products

Sucralose can be found in more than 4,500 food and beverage products.

Thomas English Muffins (the Honey Wheat English Muffins) now feature sucralose in the ingredient list despite the fact it is not a dietary product.
Coca-Cola and Pepsi released new versions of their colas (Coke C2 and Pepsi EDGE) replacing half of the traditional high-fructose corn syrup with sucralose (C2 also uses aspartame and acesulfame potassium). In 2005, Coca-Cola released a new formulation of Diet Coke sweetened with sucralose, called Diet Coke with Splenda, which also has acesulfame potassium. Coca-Cola also released a new energy drink through the Tab namebrand which uses sucralose and acesulfame potassium; marketed as a "no carbohydrate/low calorie energy drink".
Pepsi-Cola has released an updated Pepsi ONE using sucralose instead of aspartame, although both formulations, new and old, also use acesulfame potassium, another intense sweetener.
Cadbury-Schweppes released 7UP Plus in the US in August 2004, a drink containing fruit juices and sucralose, and in May 2005, Diet 7 UP switched from aspartame to sucralose.
National Beverage Corp. uses sucralose in all of their Diet Shastas.
The Dannon Company (the US branch of Danone) has introduced a new range of their flavored yogurts and yogurt drinks, called "Light 'n Fit", and some of those are sweetened with sucralose, some with fruit juices, and some still with aspartame.
Mentos' new Sugarfree Mentos contain sucralose to sweeten the oblate spheroids.
Jamba Juice, in 2004, released a category of 'smoothies' based on the use of Splenda to lower the amount of sugar used, thus lowering total caloric content as well as "carbs" (calories supplied by carbohydrates/sugars).
Universal Robina Corporation, the manufacturer of C2 Cool & Clean Tea, the green tea which unexpectedly took the Philippine beverage market by storm (nudging sodas and iced teas out of popularity), recently released the sugar-free version of their C2 beverages C2 Lite Cool & Clean Tea. In similar flavor variants, but this time, sugar-free and low-calorie, and containing sucralose.
Propel is a lightly flavored, non-carbonated beverage with added C, E, and B Vitamins. It is also sweetened with acesulfame potassium and sucralose.
Starbucks uses sucralose in their Frappuccino® Light Blended Coffee line.
Nestle uses sucralose in their Pure Life® flavoured water line (e.g., Raspberry Splash).
Hansen's Soda uses sucralose in their diet products.
SoBe Lean contains Splenda® brand sucralose.
AriZona Diet Green Tea with Ginseng contains Splenda® brand sucralose.

Cooking

Sucralose is the most heat stable artificial sweetner available, allowing it to be used in many recipes without any use of sugar. Sucralose is available in granulated form so as to measure cup for cup like sugar.

If a recipe requires more than 1 cup of sugar, replacing it completely with sucralose usually will not work. However, sucralose is available blended with half sugar and half sucralose, so it may used in such recipes, or ones requiring the ability to brown, raise, and activate yeast as sugar does.

Safety

Sucralose has been accepted by several national and international food safety regulatory bodies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Joint Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives, The European Union's Scientific Committee on Food, Health Protection Branch of Health and Welfare Canada and Food Standards Australia-New Zealand (FSANZ).The acceptable daily intake for sucralose is 5 mg / kg of body weight per day.

"In determining the safety of sucralose, FDA reviewed data from more than 110 studies in humans and animals. Many of the studies were designed to identify possible toxic effects including carcinogenic, reproductive and neurological effects. No such effects were found, and FDA's approval is based on the finding that sucralose is safe for human consumption." (FDA Talk Paper T98-16)

There is evidence that Sucralose can cause cancer. "Sucralose was weakly mutagenic in a mouse lymphoma mutation assay" (from DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Food and Drug Administration, 21 CFR Part 172, Docket No. 87F-0086 http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/fr980403.html)

Concerns have also been raised about the effect of sucralose on the thymus gland, a gland that is important to the immune system. A report from NICNAS cites two studies on rats, both of which found "a significant decrease in mean thymus weight" at a certain dose.[Report from NICNAS, The Australian Government regulator of industrial chemicals (PDF document)] (These and other studies were considered by regulators before concluding that sucralose was safe.)

Critics of sucralose often favor natural alternatives, including Xylitol (Birch sugar widely used during world war II), Malitol, Maltitol, Isomalt (popular in some European countries), and the unapproved sweetener Stevia (widely used in Japan), which is sold on many sites claiming that sucralose is unsafe. In the US, Stevia can only be sold as a dietary supplement, not a sweetener, and may not be sold at all in the UK.

References

External links

Science

[Computational Chemistry Wiki]

Advocacy

[The FDA on sugar substitutes]
[The Splenda official site]
[Splendatruth.com] - pro-Splenda site from McNeil Nutritionals
[Sucralose.org] - Calorie Control Council's "facts about sucralose". The Calorie Control Council is, according to its website, a "non-profit association representing the low-calorie and reduced-fat food and beverage industry."
[Sensible practical knowledge about Splenda] A pro-sucralose website.
[- International Food Information Council- Everything You Need to Know About Sucralose] IFIC is supported primarily by the broad-based food, beverage and agricultural industries.
[Splenda Professional] - official Splenda site for health care professionals

Criticism

[Timeline of Sugar Association campaign against Splenda]
[Truth About Splenda], a website funded by The Sugar Association, claims there have been no long term human studies, but links to [an FDA ruling] that mentions studies that "investigated the short-term and long-term effects of sucralose on "(human) diabetics. (The FDA considers 6 months to be "long-term". Studies of sucralose on other mammals were done for up to 2 years.)
[Splenda Lawsuit] - lawsuits by and against the maker of Splenda, McNeil Nutritionals

[Sucralose links] - Sucralose toxicity Information Centre

Press releases

[FDA press announcement] - FDA report on its approval of splenda
[£97m Investment to Significantly Boost Splenda Sucralose Output] - describes new manufacturing plant in Singapore

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