Sugar Substitute

<p>In the United States, six intensely-sweet sugar substitutes have been approved for use. They are <a title="Stevia" href="/wiki/Stevia">stevia</a>, <a title="Aspartame" href="/wiki/Aspartame">aspartame</a>, <a title="Sucralose" href="/wiki/Sucralose">sucralose</a>, <a title="Neotame" href="/wiki/Neotame">neotame</a>, <a title="Acesulfame potassium" href="/wiki/Acesulfame_potassium">acesulfame potassium</a>, and <a title="Saccharin" href="/wiki/Saccharin">saccharin</a>. There is some ongoing controversy over whether artificial sweetener usage poses health risks.&nbsp;</p>

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The US <a title="Food and Drug Administration" href="/wiki/Food_and_Drug_Administration">Food and Drug Administration</a> regulates artificial sweeteners as food additives.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1">[1]</a></sup></p>

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Food additives must be approved by the FDA, which publishes a Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) list of additives.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2">[2]</a></sup> To date, the FDA has not been presented with scientific information that would support a change in conclusions about the safety of these approved high-intensity sweeteners (with the exception of Stevia, which is exempt under FDA's GRAS policy due to its being a natural substance in wide use well before 1958, and has been approved by FDA). The safe conclusions are based on a detailed review of a large body of information, including hundreds of toxicological and clinical studies.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3">[3]</a></sup></p>

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The majority of sugar substitutes approved for food use are artificially-synthesized compounds. However, some bulk natural sugar substitutes are known, including <a title="Sorbitol" href="/wiki/Sorbitol">sorbitol</a> and <a title="Xylitol" href="/wiki/Xylitol">xylitol</a>, which are found in <a title="Berry" href="/wiki/Berry">berries</a>, <a title="Fruit" href="/wiki/Fruit">fruit</a>, <a title="Vegetable" href="/wiki/Vegetable">vegetables</a>, and <a title="Mushroom" href="/wiki/Mushroom">mushrooms</a>.&nbsp;</p>

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It is not commercially viable to extract these products from fruits and vegetables, so they are produced by catalytic <a title="Hydrogenation" href="/wiki/Hydrogenation">hydrogenation</a> of the appropriate reducing sugar. For example, <a title="Xylose" href="/wiki/Xylose">xylose</a> is converted to xylitol, <a title="Lactose" href="/wiki/Lactose">lactose</a> to <a title="Lactitol" href="/wiki/Lactitol">lactitol</a>, and <a title="Glucose" href="/wiki/Glucose">glucose</a> to sorbitol. Other natural substitutes are known, but are yet to gain official approval for food use.</p>

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Some non-sugar sweeteners are <i><a title="Polyol" href="/wiki/Polyol">polyols</a></i>, also known as&nbsp;

"<a title="Sugar alcohol" href="/wiki/Sugar_alcohol">sugar alcohols</a>". These are, in general, less sweet than sucrose but have similar bulk properties and can be used in a wide range of food products. Sometimes the sweetness profile is 'fine-tuned' by mixing with high-intensity sweeteners. As with all food products, the development of a formulation to replace sucrose is a complex proprietary process.</p>