What is Sucralose?
Sucralose is a non-nutritive artificial sweetener that is not broken down by the human gastrointestinal tract, meaning it does not contribute to caloric intake. It is recognized under the E number E955 and is 320 to 1,000 times as sweet as table sugar or sucrose. Sucralose is also three times as sweet as aspartame and twice as sweet as saccharin. Unlike aspartame, sucralose is stable under heat and over a wide range of pH conditions, making it suitable for use in baking products or in products that need a longer shelf life. Sucralose is available under various brand names such as Splenda, Zerocal, Sukrana, SucraPlus, Candys, Cukren, and Nevella.
What is Aspartame?
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener used as a sugar substitute in some foods and beverages. It is a food additive with the E-number E951 and is marketed under the brand names Equal and NutraSweet. Research has indicated that aspartame and its breakdown products are safe for human consumption at current levels of exposure, leading to its approval by both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority. However, it must be avoided by people with the genetic condition known as phenylketonuria (PKU). Aspartame is about 200 times sweeter than sucrose but is less suitable for baking than other sweeteners because it breaks down when heated and loses much of its sweetness.
Key Takeaways
- Sucralose is a non-nutritive sweetener, while aspartame is a nutritive sweetener.
- Sucralose retains its sweetness after being heated and has a longer shelf life than aspartame.
- Aspartame has lost market share to sucralose due to changes in marketing and consumer preferences, as well as the favorable properties of sucralose.
