Food Sweeteners:
These are substances that sweeten foods, beverages and medications such as sugar, saccharine or other low-calorie synthetic products. They can be termed as sweeting agents which are called artificial sweeteners as they are usually not a component of the product they are added to. The most commonly used sweeteners are sucrose, glucose, fructose and lactose, with sucrose being the most popular. These substances can be classified as nutritive and non-nutritive.

Nutritive Sweeteners

• Fructose is the only carbohydrate with a greater sweetness than that of sucrose. It is more slowly absorbed than sucrose and glucose and does not stimulate the insulin. So, it is a recommended sweetener in dietetic foods such as breakfast, beverages and ice-cream.
• Sugar alcohols are produced by the hydrogenation of sugars and syrups with the aid of catalyst. They include sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, maltitol and lactitol which are functionally similar to sucrose.
• Sorbitol has special properties of high viscosity, humectancy and crystalline form. It is used in confections, candies, preserves, jelly and table-top sweeteners.
• Mannitol is a good anti-adhesion agent used in the manufacture of sugar-free shewing gum,sweets and ice-cream.
• Xylitol is primarily used in sugarless confectionery products and diabetic foods.
• Maltitol has excellent heat stability and aids moisture retention in baked goods.

Non-Nutritive Sweeteners

• Saccharin is the most widely used sugar substitute because of its low cost and high stability. It is the only non-caloric sweetener that can withstand heating, baking and high acid and it can be used in virtually and dietary products.
• Aspartame is the prime sweeetener for many dietic foods such as soft drinks, ice-cream and chewing gum. Its good taste has promotes its acceptabillity even though it costs more than other sweetener or sugar.It is disintegrated into aspartic acid, fenylalanine and methanol in the body on digestion.
• Cyclamate is a calorie free sweetener. It is metabolized in the gut by few individuals and generally expelled as such. It is generally used in combination with other sweeteners. It has a pleasant taste, and is stable at high temperatures and is economical. It is banned in the UK and USA because of its association with tumors in rats.
• Acesulfame-K is a recently introduced 0 calorie sweetener that are still being evaluated. It is not metabolized by the body. The only limitation it has is that if used in large quantities, it has an after taste. It is used in fruit preserves, dairy products and all types of beverages. It is used to reduce the calories of the products. It is heat resistant and enhances flavors.