Title: Alternative Sweeteners

160 Pearson
Figure 8 Saccharin hydrolysis at 80°C (176°F).
from 3.3–8.0 were essentially unchanged after heating for 1 hr at 150°C. More
recent work that uses high-performance liquid chromatographic techniques has
confirmed their findings (44). Only under severe laboratory conditions of high
temperature, high and low pH, over an extended period does saccharin hydrolyze
to a measurable extent. The only hydrolysis products are 2-sulfobenzoic acid and
2-sulfamoylbenzoic acid (Fig. 5) (46). Hydrolysis curves for sodium saccharin
at various temperatures and pHs are shown in Figures 6, 7, and 8 (44).
VII. FUNCTIONALITY
Over the last century saccharin and its salts have found their way into a variety
of beverages, foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Its primary function is to
provide sweetness safely and economically without the attendant calories. Saccharin
is used as a noncaloric sweetener in the following foods and beverages:
Soft drinks, fruit juice drinks, other beverages, and beverage bases or mixes
Tabletop sweeteners in tablet, powder, or liquid form
Processed fruits
Chewing gum and confections
Gelatin desserts, juices, jams, and toppings
Sauces and dressings
In addition, over the past century saccharin has found use in a variety of
nonfood applications, including (a) nickel electroplating brightener (47), (b) agricultural
chemical intermediate (48, 49), (c) animal food sweetener (50), (d)
pharmaceutical chemical intermediate (51), (e) chemical intermediate for a mam-