Sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame-potassium, neotame, alitame, cyclamate and saccharin are synthetic sweeteners. “To sweeten” means to sweeten, add a sugar or other food having a sweetening power.

They are said to be “synthetic” because they result from the transformation in the laboratory of different chemical compounds. Hence their other name “artificial sweeteners”. They are also referred to as “intense sweeteners” because of their very high sweetening power.

Two categories

Synthetic sweeteners fall into two categories: first generation (saccharin, cyclamate, aspartame) and sweeteners from second generation (sucralose, acésulfame-potassium, neotame, alitame).

Synthetic sweeteners are chemical compounds that come from different origins or from different substances. Two examples: aspartame and sucralose.

THEAspartame is made up of two amino acids: aspartic acid and phenylalanine. The substance, when processed by the body, produces a small amount of methanol, hence the controversy surrounding its use.

Only the sucralose originally comes from sugar. The process, patented of course, consists of introducing three atoms of chlorine in place and instead of three groups of hydrogen and oxygen atoms present on the sucrose (sugar) molecule. The molecule, thus modified, is no longer a sugar, but a substance created from scratch by the hand of man.

Synthetic sweeteners are all based on the same principle: they are “empty” molecules, “Non-food”. The body does not recognize them as nutrients and therefore does not derive energy from them.

Aside from aspartame, artificial sweeteners marketed in the country (sucralose, cyclamate, saccharin, acesulfame-potassium) do not contain no calories. THE’Aspartame contains 4 calories per gram.

* The statement “Approved as a table top sweetener only” means that this sweetener may not be used as a food additive in Canada. No processed product (yogurt, jam, chocolate, etc.) should contain cyclamate or saccharin. The sale of these sweeteners remains permitted (for saccharin, only in pharmacies).

** Sweetening power is based on that of sucrose (ordinary sugar).

*** ADI: “acceptable daily intake”. Public health authorities, including Health Canada, have set “acceptable daily intakes”, thresholds below which these food additives are considered safe. (See the text Are they safe?). The ADIs mentioned in this table are taken from the research synthesis carried out by the Canadian Diabetes Association (see reference below) and have been validated with Health Canada. In general, they correspond to the standards established by other public health authorities and may even prove to be “safer”. For example, Health Canada set the ADI for sucralose at 9 mg / kg, while a joint committee¹ of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) “allows” up to 15 mg / kg.

The pregnant women should avoid taking saccharine and cyclamate. In fact, these products should only be consumed on the advice of a doctor.

As for theAspartame, Health Canada² deems it safe during pregnancy. “Aspartame consumption by pregnant women is safe and poses no health risk. However, since the consumption of products containing aspartame and other intense sweeteners could replace that of nutritious foods contributing to energy intake, pregnant women should be warned against excessive consumption of such products. », He specifies.

Health Canada has, however, issued a caution for people with phenylcétonurie. The latter should not consumeAspartame, because it contains phenylalanine, a substance that these people cannot metabolize².

Sugar alcohols

A distinction must be made between synthetic sweeteners and sugar alcohols, also called polyalcohol or polyols: maltitol, sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, isomalt, etc.

Although sugars—alcohols are also synthesized in the laboratory, they are, to a certain extent, more “natural”. Indeed, they come from different sugars of plant origin.

On shelves, they are most often found in food products intended for diabetics, but also in candies, candies, gum, ice cream and certain chocolates. They are not sold as tabletop sweeteners.

Sugar alcohol has little impact on blood sugar, but consumed in large quantities can cause gastrointestinal disturbances (gas, diarrhea, etc.).

Stevia

We have heard a lot about stevia in recent years, a “new” sweetener from a small shrub native to South America (stevia rebaudiana).

Stevia is a plant that has been used for a very long time in South America to sweeten drinks and food. The sale of stevia as supplément is permitted in Canada, but cannot be marketed as a table-top sweetener or as a food additive. At the time of this document’s update (September 2008), its use as food additive was still banned in both the United States and Canada and member countries of the European Union.

This situation could change in the United States in 2009, as the two giants of the soft drink market have developed purified and patented extracts of stevia that they intend to be able to use in their products. In May 2008, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo submitted toxicological data to the US Food and Drug Administration to obtain approval for Truvia® and PureVia®, respectively, as food additives. See the “History” section of the stevia file to learn more about this.

Currently in Canada, stevia is available as a powder from the dried leaves or as a standardized extract. The sweetening power of stevia is 100 to 300 times that of sugar. A single teaspoon of a standardized extract (90% stevioside) is equivalent to about three cups of sugar!

People with type 2 diabetes are generally recommended to check their blood glucose levels more often after introducing stevia into their diet.

Agave syrup

This natural sweetener is also talked about, because it has a higher sweetening power than that of white sugar, i.e. 1,4. In addition, as it contains a high proportion of fructose (60% to 90%), its glycemic index is low (around 20), which is an advantage for diabetics.

This syrup is extracted from the sap present in the heart of the agave plant, which is also used to make tequila (Tequilana agava). Its taste is more neutral than that of honey. Its color varies from golden to dark brown, depending on the degree of purification. It is found in health food stores.

Be careful though, it is almost as caloric as sugar, or around 17 calories per teaspoon against 20 for sugar. On the other hand, since it has a higher sweetening power, less is used: it is generally suggested to replace 1 cup of sugar with 2/3 cup of agave syrup.

Another disadvantage of this syrup: because of its high fructose content, it increases the level of triglycerides in the blood when consumed in large quantities. This increase is a factor in cardiovascular disease and insulin resistance.