Artificial Sweeteners: What does FSSAI say?

An artificial sweetener is a food additive that is an artificial sugar substitute, which imparts a sweet taste similar to natural sugar, but with much fewer calories.

The FSSAI has approved five artificial sweeteners, namely, Saccharin sodium, Aspartame (methyl ester), Acesulfame potassium, Sucralose, and Neotame.

Saccharin is the world’s oldest artificial sweetener, having been discovered in 1879. Saccharin has been a low-calorie substitute to sugar for well over a century. Due to its stability and low cost, it remains an important low-calorie sugar substitute even today. It is a safe artificial sweetener that has been tested and validated in many countries for over a century. It is about 300-400 times as sweet as natural sugar but sometimes exhibits a bitter after-taste.

Saccharin sodium is recommended by FSSAI for use in the following foodstuff at the maximum permitted levels indicated within brackets:

• Soft drinks (100 ppm)
• Pan masala (8000 ppm)
• Traditional sweets (500 ppm)
• Chocolate (500 ppm)
• Sugar based/ sugar-free confectionery (3000 ppm)
• Chewing gum/bubble gum (3000 ppm)

Aspartame is a low-calorie, artificial sweetener that is 200 times as sweet as natural sugar. It is used as a sugar substitute in many food items, including low-calorie soft drinks, sugar-free chewing gum, cereals and as a tabletop sweetener. Aspartame, with reference to its safety, has been very controversial, since its approval in 1981. It is thought that it tricks the body into storing more fat and inducing diabetes. Recently, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) finally concluded in 2013 that aspartame was safe for human consumption, including pregnant women and children. However, since its breakdown products include phenylalanine, aspartame must be avoided by phenylketonuria (PKU), and must be labeled “contains a source of phenylalanine”. It acceptable daily intake is 40mg/kg body weight.

Aspartame is recommended by FSSAI for use in the following foodstuff at the maximum permitted levels indicated within brackets:

• Soft drinks (700 ppm)
• Biscuits, bread, cakes and pastries (2200 ppm)
• Traditional sweets (200 ppm)
• Jam, jellies and marmalades (1000 ppm)
• Chocolate (2000 ppm)
• Sugar based/sugar free confectionery (10000 ppm)
• Chewing gum/bubble gum (10000 ppm)
• Custard powder mix (1000 ppm)
• Fruit/vegetable nectar (600 ppm)
• Ice cream, frozen dessert and pudding (1000 ppm)
• Flavored milk (600 ppm)
• Ready to serve tea/coffee based beverages (600 ppm)
• Yoghurt (600 ppm)

Acesulfame potassium, also known as Acesulfame K (Ace-K), is a calorie-free sweetener that is up to 200 times sweeter than natural sugar and as sweet as aspartame. It is often blended with sucralose and used to decrease the bitter aftertaste of aspartame. Acesulfame K is used in a large number of food products, including jams, dairy products, frozen desserts, chewing gum, soft drinks, and as a tabletop sweetener. Currently, acesulfame K is regarded as safe and at recommended levels of consumption, is not toxic, nor carcinogenic, as earlier claimed by some critics. Its acceptable daily intake is 9mg/kg body weight.

Acesulfame potassium is recommended by FSSAI for use in the following foodstuff at the maximum permitted levels indicated within brackets:

• Soft drinks (300 ppm)
• Biscuits, bread, cakes and pastries (1000 ppm)
• Traditional sweets (500 ppm)
• Chocolate (500 ppm)
• Sugar based/ Sugar-free confectionery (3500 ppm)
• Chewing gum/ bubble gum (5000 ppm)
• Ready to serve tea/coffee based beverages (600 ppm)
• Ice lollies/ice candy (800 ppm)
• Fruit nectars (300 ppm)

Sucralose is a calorie-free artificial sweetener derived from sucrose and is up to 650 times sweeter than natural sugar. Sucralose does not have any bitter aftertaste and is used in a wide variety of foodstuffs, including carbonated drinks, chewing gum, bakery products, breakfast cereals, salad dressings, and as a tabletop sweetener. Sucralose does not have any appreciable effects on blood glucose levels and can be used by diabetics, as recommended by EFSA (2011). Its acceptable daily intake is 15mg/kg body weight.

Sucralose is recommended by FSSAI for use in the following foodstuff at the maximum permitted levels indicated within brackets:

• Soft drinks (300 ppm)
• Biscuits (including cookies), bread, cakes and pastries (750 ppm)
• Traditional sweets (750 ppm)
• Yogurt (300 ppm)
• Ice cream/dried ice cream mixes/frozen dessert/kulfi (400 ppm)
• Ice lollies/ice candy (800 ppm)
• Jam, jellies, and marmalades (450 ppm)
• Chutney (800 ppm)
• Confectionery (1500 ppm)
• Chocolate (800 ppm)
• Chewing gum (1250 ppm)
• Doughnuts /scones /muffins (800 ppm)
• Ready to serve tea/coffee based beverages (600 ppm)
• Vegetable juice/nectar (250 ppm)
• Custard powder/ ready to eat custard dessert (260 ppm)

Neotame is an artificial sweetener derived from aspartame that has been approved in 2002 for use in food and drink products, but its use has been largely limited. It is extremely potent, rapidly metabolized, completely excreted from the body. Judging by the chemicals used to manufacture neotame, it appears to be toxic, although it is proposed that toxicity does not arise at the minute amounts that are required to sweeten food products. Neotame is 7,000-13,000 times sweeter than natural sugar and 30-60 times sweeter than aspartame.

Neotame is recommended by FSSAI for use in soft drinks only at a maximum permitted level of 33 ppm.

Isomaltulose has recently been added to the list of Artificial Sweeteners in Regulation No. 3.1 of FSS (Food Products Standards & Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. Isomaltulose is allowed to be used in the confectionery products and the maximum limit shall be 50 percent (max) of total sugar without adversely affecting the stability of the product. Ice lollies or edible ices have been excluded from the confectionery products category.

Isomaltulose is allowed to be used as an artificial sweetener for the following:

• Chewing gum/bubble gum (GMP)
• Sugar based/ sugar-free confectionary (GMP)
• Chocolate (GMP)
• Lozenges (GMP)

The values of isomaltulose should be 50 percent (max) of total sugar without adversely affecting the stability of the above-discussed food products.