Artificial Sweeteners And Sweetening Agents: Advantages, Structure, Uses

Sweetening of Artificial Sweetening Agents:

Artificial sweeteners are chemicals that produce a sweet taste like sugar but contain no calories. Ideally, the approach in the design of sugar-free candies is very similar to the no-fat technology. Sweeteners are formulated chemicals that are many times sweeter than sucrose. The most familiar ones are aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose. They fall under the broad classification of non-nutritive sweeteners, and they contribute little to nothing in terms of calories.

Artificial sweeteners work by interacting with the taste receptors in the tongue which results in the perception of 'sweet' from a stimulus. It gives one sweet taste, sans the concomitant burden of calories, which one would have expected from regular sugars. However, though such artificial sweeteners have been proven to manage weight and blood levels, most researchers have further maintained that the long-term health effects of sugar substitutes still remain open to further research and debate, in which a few have argued metabolic disorders and digestive-related issues are some of the risks involved.

These are the chemical compounds that give a sweetening effect to the food and enhance its odor and flavor. Sugars such as sucrose, fructose, and lactose are the most widely used natural sweetening agents. However, excess consumption of sugar leads to many diseases such as diabetes, obesity, tooth decay, and coronary heart disease. Artificial sweeteners are another type of food additive that are much sweeter than sugar and non-nutritive in nature and are used as substitutes for sugar in foods and beverages, especially soft drinks. Some examples of artificial sweetening agents are saccharin, aspartame, cyclamates, alitame, dulcin sucralose, etc.

Aspartame is the most successful and widely used artificial sweetener. It is roughly 100 times as sweet as cane sugar. It is the methyl ester of dipeptide formed from aspartic acid and phenylalanine. The use of aspartame is limited to cold foods and soft drinks because it is unstable at cooking temperatures. Alitame is a high-potency sweetener, and although it is more stable than aspartame, the control of the sweetness of food is difficult while using it. Sucralose is a trichloro derivative of sucrose. Its appearance and taste are like sugar. It is stable at cooking temperature. It does not provide calories.

Types of Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners can be subdivided further into several categories based on where they fall in and their chemical structure.

1. Man-Made Chemical Sweetener:

The artificial sweeteners that are man-made chemically of the kind are:
Aspartame: Intensely sweet about 200 times sweeter than table sugar; it is used primarily in soft drinks and low-caloric foods.
Saccharin: The oldest artificial sweetener is about 300 times sweeter than table sugar but often carries a mild, bitter aftertaste as a description.
Sucralose: Proved to be heat-stable for baking or cooking.

2. Natural Sweeteners:

This would be self-explanatory, but here are some natural sweeteners out there:
Stevia: An extract obtained from the leaves of the Stevia plant, known to be a no-calorie natural remedy.
Monk Fruit Extract: The newest entry into this segment of natural sweeteners known to have a very sweet reputation, minus the calories.

3. Sugar Alcohols:

These include sorbitol and xylitol, among others. Sugar alcohols provide sweetness but have fewer calories than or no associated calories when compared to sugar and are many times used in sugar-free products. In some, excessive consumption may result in digestive discomfort.

It is this that makes the relevance of sweetener emitters significant that they give sweetness, not energy intake; therefore they become relevant for both weight management and diabetes control, their safety and effects on health in the long run are, however, a subject of controversy, as different studies have shown several health problems link to them.

Real-Life Applications and Relevance

A number of products are put to use in the general category; their uses, from diet soda to sugar-free candies, medication, to nutritional supplements, are used. Their function is beyond the concept of just giving sweetness to the taste; they provide a very functional impact on weight management, diabetes, and dental health. For example, because these sweeteners do not spike glucose levels in the patient's blood, a person suffering from diabetes can safely enjoy a sweet taste without increasing sugar levels.

Most research regarding artificial sweeteners has generally revolved around issues of nutrition, pharmacology, and health, all for the public good in academic circles. Many other studies with artificial sweeteners have focused on metabolism, appetite regulation, and gut health, giving the results that at times are all loss or 'win-win' situations. Some of the conclusions from this study are that an artificial sweetener is excellent for weight loss but it makes one crave sweet food hence making the overall effect nil.

The World Health Organization has just come up with guidelines that advise people against the consumption of artificial sweetener foods for purposes of weight control, citing fear over their health effects in the long term. There is a niche gap within education choices of how sweetener additives are used in diets, calling forth discourses from health professionals and consumers.

Some Solved Examples

Example 1

Question: Which of the following can be used as an artificial sweetener?
1) Saccharin
2) Sodium Sulphite
3) BHA
4) Biothional

Solution: Saccharin is used as an artificial sweetening agent, which excretes from the body unchanged and is harmless. Sodium sulfite and BHA are antioxidants and Biothional is an antiseptic.

Hence, the answer is the option (1).

Example 2

Question: Aspartame is an artificial sweetener sold in the market. It consists of amino acids and provides calories like other amino acids. Yet, it is used as a low-calorie sweetening agent in food items. What is the basis of this use?
1) When aspartame is used in food processing, the sweet taste remains but becomes resistant to oxidation
2) Aspartame is 100 times sweeter than table sugar, hence food items made with a small quantity of aspartame yield fewer calories on oxidation.
3) Aspartame is as sweet as sugar, but after ingestion into the body, it is converted into metabolites that yield no calories
4) Aspartame is as sweet as table sugar but unlike table sugar, it is not readily oxidized in the human body due to a lack of requisite enzymes.

Solution: Aspartame is about 100 times sweeter than sugar but it is unstable at cooking temperature and hence, it is used in cold foods and drinks. Since Aspartame is 100 times sweeter than table sugar, hence food items made with a small quantity of aspartame yield fewer calories on oxidation.

Hence, the answer is the option (2).

Example 3

Question: Which one of the following is an artificial sweetener?
1) BHA
2) Sodium Sulphite
3) Alitame
4) Sodium Stearate

Solution: Alitame is an artificial sweetener that is 2000 times as sweet as sugar.

Hence, the answer is the option (3).

Example 4

Question: Which of the following chemicals can be added for sweetening food items at cooking temperature and does not provide calories?
1) Sucrose
2) Alitame
3) Aspartame
4) Sucralose

Solution: Sucralose is a trichloro derivative of sucrose. Its appearance and taste are like sugar. It is stable at cooking temperature. It does not provide calories.

Hence, the answer is the option (4).

Example 5

Question: Artificial sweetener which is stable under cold conditions only is:
1) Saccharine
2) Sucralose
3) Aspartame
4) Alitame

Solution: Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that is stable under cold conditions only.

Hence, the correct answer is Option (3).

Summary:

The benefits and risks shares of artificial low-calorie sweeteners and sweetening agents are close. It is a substitute for sugar with low calories, but the study of the health effects requires continued care. The knowledge of the types of sweeteners and mechanisms, and to what way they function in applications is indeed knowledge for the consumers.