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Acesulfame potassium or food additive E950 is a substance widely known in the food industry. It has a characteristic sweetness and an almost complete absence of calories. Thanks to this, the supplement has become very popular among manufacturers of diet sweet sodas, “0 calorie” chewing gums, dietary and sports nutrition. Studies conducted by chemists, physicians and biologists have shown that the substance does not pose any significant harm or danger to humans, however, due to its synthetic origin, as well as the possible content of harmful impurities, in generally accepted world classifications, it is assigned the type of food additives from low to medium level of danger.
Chemical properties of acesulfame potassium
For the first time this element was discovered by scientists in Germany, in the late 70s of the last century. Most often, the additive is obtained during the chemical reaction of derivatives of two acids – acetoacetic and aminosulfonic, but there are other ways. Food supplement E950 looks like a finely granulated powder or white crystals. It has a high solubility in water, but is less soluble in alcohols. The taste is pronounced sweet. In large quantities, the substance has a bitter aftertaste or a characteristic metallic taste. Because of this, it is practically not used in its pure form, most often combined with other sweeteners: sucralose or aspartame. In a mixture, the substances give a taste more similar to the taste of regular sugar.
In terms of sweetness, acesulfame potassium is 150-200 times sweeter than sugar, and as sweet as aspartame. Saccharin and sucralose surpass the substance in this indicator, respectively, by 2 and 4 times.
The additive is resistant to high temperatures, so it is often used in products with a long shelf life. Its melting point is from 225 degrees Celsius.
In the process of melting, the substance breaks down into simpler elements. Acesulfame potassium is also acid-resistant, which is why it is added to soft drinks.
Use of the additive in industry
The main property due to which the substance is used in various industries is its sweetness. As a sweetener, E950 replaces sugar, it is much sweeter, but less caloric.
Less pronounced is its effect as a flavor and aroma enhancer – in this aspect it is sometimes used to mask the natural taste of ingredients that may be of poor quality.
The main field of application is the manufacture of food products.
It, as a sugar substitute and flavor enhancer, is used in the production of:
- chewing gum;
- confectionery: jam, marmalade, diet sweets for diabetics, ice cream;
- dairy products;
- dried fruits;
- rich and flour bakery products;
- breakfast cereals;
- biologically active food additives;
- waffles and ice cream cones;
- fruit, vegetable and fish preserves;
- soft drinks, juices, milk drinks.
The ability to retain its taste under the influence of high temperatures makes the substance convenient for use in the preparation of various cookies, cakes and sweets.
The additive is also found in alcoholic products – it is added to cider, wine and alcoholic beverages with an ethyl alcohol content of not more than 15%.
Various fast foods such as snacks, crackers, dry soups and purees, as well as commercial sauces and marinades, may contain this substance in combination with other synthetic sweeteners.
In addition to food, the E950 additive has found its application in the manufacture of some hygiene products, in particular, toothpastes and mouthwashes.
Some medicines may contain this sweetener – it is added to improve the taste of various chewable tablets, dragees and syrups.
The effect of substance use on the human body
Most of the states of the European Union, Ukraine, Russia and the United States since 1998 have allowed the use of the sweetener in food products without restrictions. By this time, chemists and biologists, as a result of studying the substance and its properties, came to the conclusion that it is relatively safe for humans.
The norm for the use of acesulfame potassium is 15 mg per 1 kilogram of the weight of an adult healthy person. In this amount, it can cause almost no harm to health. The supplement is broken down by the body within an hour and a half and excreted by the kidneys, without participating in the metabolic process, and without accumulating in the organs, tissues and cells of the body. Unlike sugar, the substance does not contribute to the appearance of caries.
In 2005, experiments using laboratory rats showed that the consumption of the supplement did not cause the appearance of malignant tumors in animals. Until that time, there was information that acesulfame potassium is a carcinogen, but it has not been confirmed in any way.
Some experts even talk about the peculiar benefits of the E950 supplement for the human body – because due to its low calorie content and great sweetness, it can become a sugar substitute for diabetics and obese people.
There is information that, in combination with aspartame, acesulfame potassium becomes dangerous, as it provokes the appearance of chronic fatigue, irritability, nausea, weakness, joint pain and the development of epilepsy. Scientific studies have not yet confirmed these data.
Like all synthetic food additives, acesulfame potassium has both opponents and supporters of its use in foods. The former say that a substance obtained artificially in a laboratory and artificially introduced into food is foreign to the human body, and therefore dangerous. Sometimes we even talk about the oncogenicity of the supplement, although science has no official confirmation of this point of view.
Proponents of the use of the E950 sweetener focus on the fact that it is less harmful than sugar: unlike it, acesulfame potassium does not cause obesity, is not prohibited for diabetics, and does not contribute to the appearance and development of caries. And while this information has not been refuted in any way, manufacturers use the E950 food additive as an ingredient in many food products: sweets, drinks, chewing gums, desserts, dairy products, sauces and snacks.