What Is Sodium Saccharin And What Does It Do？
Sodium saccharin is an artificial sweetening agent used in a variety of food products. One of the oldest sweeteners to come into use, saccharin is roughly 500 times more sweet as compared to sucrose. However, it can leave a strange aftertaste if it has been used in high concentrations. Over the years, saccharin sweeteners have been subject to some speculations for having adverse or damaging effects on health, which we will explore here.
Saccharin Meaning
Understanding what is sodium saccharin is essential for understanding what it does. This sweetener, which is typically odorless and available in the form of crystals or white powder, is classified as a non-nutritional additive and is known by multiple names like e954 sodium saccharin, benzosulfimide, saccharine sodium, and more. Because of its sweetening properties, it is used extensively for the production of beverages, bakery products, candies, and other similar items.
Saccharine definition is derived from the Greek language word ‘sakkharon’, and translates to mean ‘sugary’. Although it has been around for many decades, saccharin has been one of the most controversial food additives due to many claims about its ill effects on health floating around. Although generally recognized as a safe to consume additive, it has been subject to a lot of adverse claims about saccharin health risks.
What Does Saccharin Do?
Founded in 1879 by chemist Constantine Fahlberg, saccharin artificial sweetener has been used for its key advantage of carrying no caloric value. As a synthetic sweetener, it is being used in several industries to replace sugar. When the topic of sugar vs saccharin arises, many prefer saccharin because of its zero-calorie structure. Some of the key industries where it is used include the following:
Sodium saccharin in food is used for multiple applications. For instance:
- Sodium saccharin in drinks such as sodas, energy drinks, and diet pops to replace sugar. This effectively adds sweetness without the added calories.
- In desserts and baked products such as muffins, cookies, cupcakes, and more, it serves a similar function. Moreover, it is heat stable, which is beneficial during baking.
- In processed and canned foods like jellies, canned fruit, sauces, dressings, etc., it serves the purpose of retaining sweetness and a balance of flavor without adding on extra calories.
- Table-top Sweeteners: As a primary Sweet ‘N’ Low ingredient, saccharin, has been a stable tabletop sweetener for this sugar substitute brand since the 1980s, used for daily consumption in things like tea and coffee.
- Candy: Sodium saccharin in candy such as chewing gum and other types of candies helps in controlling the sugar content, while at the same time enhancing flavor.
Artificial sugar saccharin is also extensively used in the pharmaceuticals personal care and cosmetics industries for various purposes including the following:
- Oral Care Products: In the oral care products range, artificial sweeteners like saccharin find extensive application. Sodium saccharin in toothpaste and sodium saccharin in mouthwash help in improving the flavor of the products.
- In Medicines: Saccharin sodium in medicine is used for both pharmaceutical and nutraceutical meds as well as powders and saccharin pills such as chewable tablets, cough drops, and others to make them edible, particularly for children.
- Lip Products: In the cosmetics industry, saccharin sodium is used widely for the production of lip balms and lipsticks which have a distinctive sweet flavor, making them more fragrant improving the user experience.
Top Sugar Substitutes
When talking of sugar substitutes, there is no ideal sugar substitute, whether you consider saccharin or other options including cyclamate, allulose, xylose, sorbitol, sucralose, aspartame, or others. Depending upon the purpose of use, product manufacturers can choose different low-calorie sugar substitutes that suit their requirements. The choice is also often subject to the availability of different options in different regions as well as the slight price difference among the products.
In addition to these parameters, the choice could also be dependent on regulatory considerations. For example, certain options might need to be accompanied by a sugar substitute warning in specific regions, which might be more work than worthwhile for product manufacturers. In addition to the regulatory implications, manufacturers may additionally be required to post warnings on saccharin products for people who might have an allergy to sweeteners such as saccharin or others.
Conclusion
Among the many options for sugar substitutes for adding sweetness to products without increasing their caloric index, saccharin is perhaps the time-tested, and commonly used alternative. Because of its stability and ability to not react with other chemicals, it has far reaching applications which make it so hugely popular among manufacturers of different products. Mondstar provides you with sodium saccharin solution.
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