Sweetener

Substance used to replace sugar with a much stronger sweetening power - they have few or no calories

Sweeteners have a 30 to 3,000 times higher sweetening power than normal sugar (saccharose).

Many different sweeteners are authorised for use. They differ not only in sweetening power but also in their taste and their technical attributes (e.g. heat stability).

The following sweeteners are currently authorised in the EU:

• Aspartame (E951) sweetening power compared to saccharose: 220-fold 

• Cyclamate (E952), 30- to 50-fold

• Saccharin (E954), 300- to 500-fold

• Acesulfame (E950), 130- to 200-fold

• Sucralose (E955), 600-fold

• Thaumatin (E957), 2000- to 3000-fold

• Neohesperidin (E 959), 400- to 600-fold

All new sweeteners are subjected to authorisation contingent upon a comprehensive safety assessment.

Due to their low mass, sweeteners cannot be processed like sugars. Sweeteners are used in low-calorie and diet products, oftentimes in combination with sugar substitutes.