Sucralose
Sucralose is a non-caloric sweetener, also known by the trade name SPLENDA. In the European Union it is also known under the E number (additive code) E955. It is 500–600 times as sweet as sucrose, making it roughly twice as sweet as saccharin and four times as sweet as aspartame. It is manufactured by the selective chlorination of sucrose, by which three of sucrose's hydroxyl groups are substituted with chlorine atoms to produce 1,6-dichloro-1,6-dideoxy-β-D-fructo-furanosyl 4-chloro-4-deoxy-α-D-galactopyranoside. Unlike aspartame, it is stable under heat and over a broad range of pH conditions, and can be used in baking, or in products that require a longer shelf life.
History
Sucralose was discovered in 1976 by scientists from Tate & Lyle PLC working with researchers at Queen Elizabeth College (now part of King's College London).
It was first approved for use in Canada(where it has sometimes been marketed as SPLENDA) in 1991. Subsequent approvals came in Australia in 1993, in New Zealand in 1996, in the United States in 1998, and in the European Union in 2004. As of 2006, it has been approved in over 60 countries, including Brazil, China, and Japan.
Tate & Lyle manufactures sucralose at a plant in McIntosh, Alabama, with additional capacity under construction in Singapore. It is used in products such as candy, breakfast bars and soft drinks.
Sucralose mixed with maltodextrin and dextrose (both made from corn) as a bulking agent is sold internationally by McNeil Nutritionals under the Splenda brand name. In the United States and Canada, this blend is increasingly found in restaurants in yellow packets, in contrast to the pink packets commonly used by saccharin-containing sweeteners (Sugar Twin is an exception here, as it has used yellow packets in the US for saccharin for years), and the blue packets used by those containing aspartame.
Packaging and storage
Most products that contain Sucralose add bulking agents and additional sweetener to bring the product to the approximate volume and texture of an equivalent amount of sugar. Pure Sucralose is sold in bulk, but not in quantities suitable for individual use. This is because Sucralose is nearly 600 times sweeter than Sucrose (Table Sugar). Pure dry Sucralose undergoes some decomposition at elevated temperatures; in solution or when blended with maltodextrin, which is made from corn, it is slightly more stable.
Safety
Sucralose has been accepted by several national and international food safety regulatory bodies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Joint Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives, The European Union's Scientific Committee on Food, Health Protection Branch of Health and Welfare Canada and Food Standards Australia-New Zealand (FSANZ).
"In determining the safety of Sucralose, FDA reviewed data from more than 110 studies in humans and animals. Many of the studies were designed to identify possible toxic effects including carcinogenic, reproductive and neurological effects. No such effects were found, and FDA's approval is based on the finding that sucralose is safe for human consumption." FDA Talk Paper T98-16.
"There is adequate evidence, [for Sucralose], that there are no concerns about mutagenicity (causing mutations, birth defects, etc.), carcinogenicity (causing cancer), development or reproductive toxicity (being toxic to one's offspring)." Opinion of the Scientific Committee on Food of the European Commission on Sucralose, September 7, 2000.
Although the scientific evidence seems to indicate that sucralose is safe, some individuals and organizations remain skeptical that it poses a long-term health risk. This is because Sucralose is a chlorocarbon. It has been said by some fringe organizations that the chlorine in Sucralose is safe, because chlorine is normally present in nature. However, it is worth noting that chlorine atoms in nontoxic componds found in nature are usually bonded ionically. Table Salt (Sodium Chloride) uses an ionic bond, whereas the 3 chlorine atoms in Sucralose are alkylhalides, covalent bonds,which are known to be potential carcinogens. This means that the metabolic byproducts (the chemicals that are left over when Sucralose is broken down) are particularly toxic. Sucralose is still considered to be safe because it is 600 times sweeter than sugar, so that a very small amount is ingested.
Concerns have also been raised about the effect of Sucralose on the Thymus gland, a gland that is important to the immune system. Significant Thymus shrinkage was found in several rat studies. The following, from the NICNAS (part of the Australian government), discusses the absorption of Sucralose and its effect on the Thymus glands of rats:
"When administered orally, between 11-27% of Sucralose is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract in male humans. The remaining sucralose is excreted in feces. Following gastrointestinal absorption, between 20-30% of the sucralose is broken down into two metabolites. The remaining sucralose is excreted in urine.
The immunotoxicity of Sucralose was assessed in groups of Sprague-Dawley rats (13/sex/group) dosed by gavage with 0-3000 mg/kg bw/day for 28 days. A significant decrease in mean thymus weight was noted in males dosed with 3000 mg/kg bw/day. The NOEL for immunological endpoints was determined to be 750 mg/kg bw/day (USFDA 1998).
In a two generation reproductive toxicity study, groups of 60 Sprague-Dawley CD rats (30/sex) were dosed with 0, 0.3, 1, and 3% Sucralose in the diet for 10 weeks prior to breeding and throughout two successive generations. A significant decrease in thymic weight of 40% was detected in both generations at the 3% dose level." Moreover, the rats so fed were only 7-20% underweight Vs the average for the control group.
In this particular study rats who were severely starved to the point of 30% weight loss, but not fed Sucralose only had their thymus shrink by an average of 7%. Versus the 40% average thymus shrinkage for the rats that were fed 3% sucralose.
It is important to know that conclusive results can never be drawn for toxicology studies that are carried out on animals. They can only be used as a rule of thumb, or a general guideline, due to the extreme differences between test animals, and humans. A very good example of this is the toxicity of Chocolate when fed to small animals.
Summary of studies
- [1] - NICNAS-The Australian Government regulator of industrial chemicals' PDF
Use in branded products
Splenda can be found in more than 3,500 food and beverage products.
Coca-Cola and Pepsi released new versions of their colas (Coke C2 and Pepsi EDGE) replacing half of the traditional high fructose corn syrup with sucralose (C2 also uses aspartame and acesulfame potassium). In 2005, Coca-Cola released a new formulation of Diet Coke sweetened with sucralose, called Diet Coke with Splenda; while Pepsi has released an updated Pepsi ONE using sucralose instead of aspartame although both formulations, new and old, use acesulfame potassium, another intense sweetener.
Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages released 7UP Plus in August 2004, a drink containing fruit juices and Splenda. In May 2005, they released Diet 7UP, using Splenda.
Shasta Beverages Inc. part of National Beverage Corp. uses Splenda in all of their Diet Shasta soda line.
The Dannon Company has begun releasing new versions of their flavored yogurt/yogurt drinks e.g. "DanActive Light" and affixes "Light" to their other products which contain sucralose.
External links
Science
Advocacy
- The FDA on sugar substitutes
- The Splenda official site
- Splendatruth.com - pro-Splenda site from McNeil Nutritionals
- Sucralose.org - Calorie Control Council's "facts about sucralose". The Calorie Control Council is, according to its website, a "non-profit association representing the low-calorie and reduced-fat food and beverage industry."
- Sensible practical knowledge about Splenda A pro-sucralose website created by the world's first (most prolific and best-known) Splenda cookbook author, whose family has consumed more Splenda in the last 14 years than any other in the world, and whose children have grown up on Splenda instead of sugar.
- - International Food Information Council- Everything You Need to Know About Sucralose IFIC is supported primarily by the broad-based food, beverage and agricultural industries.
Criticism
- Timeline of Sugar Association campaign against Splenda
- Truth About Splenda, a website funded by The Sugar Association, claims there have been no long term human studies, but links to an FDA ruling that mentions studies that "investigated the short-term and long-term effects of sucralose on "(human) diabetics. (The FDA considers 6 months to be "long-term". Studies of sucralose on other mammals were done for up to 2 years.)
- Splenda Lawsuit - lawsuits by and against the maker of Splenda, McNeil Nutritionals
- Mercola Testimonails - Testimonials from people who have experienced adverse events, similar to Aspartame and NutraSweet, from using Splenda.
Press releases
- FDA press announcement - FDA report on its approval of splenda
- £97m Investment to Significantly Boost Splenda Sucralose Output - describes new manufacturing plant in Singapore