Title: Alternative Sweeteners

68 Bopp and Price
V. ADMIXTURE POTENTIAL
Cyclamate has most frequently been used in combination with saccharin. In the
1950s, it was shown that cyclamate–saccharin mixtures are sweeter than would
be expected from the known sweetness of either component alone and that any
off-taste is minimized with the mixtures (3, 4). About a 10–20% synergism is
observed when cyclamate and saccharin are used together. For example, a combination
of 5 mg saccharin and 50 mg cyclamate in a tabletop sweetener is as sweet
as 125 mg cyclamate alone or 12.5 mg saccharin alone (13). Although the ratio
of cyclamate to saccharin can vary considerably from product to product, the
10:1 mixture is used most frequently. With this combination, each component
contributes about equally to the sweetness of the mixture because saccharin is
about 10 times sweeter than cyclamate.
More recently, numerous patents have described the use of cyclamate in
combination with aspartame or aspartame and saccharin (e.g., 18, 19). Applications
have also been reported for cyclamate in combination with acesulfame-K
and other sweeteners (20). If and when cyclamate is again approved for use in
the United States, it would undoubtedly be used primarily in combination with
other more potent sweeteners because no one sweetener appears to meet all the
technological requirements, and mixtures of sweeteners generally appear to offer
improved taste.
VI. TECHNICAL QUALITIES
Cyclamate has a number of technical qualities that make it a good alternative
sweetener (13, 17, 21). It is noncaloric and noncariogenic. Although its relative
sweetness is less than that of saccharin or aspartame, its sweetening power is
adequate, especially when used in combination with other more intense sweeteners.
Cyclamate has a favorable taste profile and does not leave an unpleasant
aftertaste at normal use concentrations. It is better than sugar in masking bitterness,
and it enhances fruit flavors. Cyclamate is compatible with most foods and
food ingredients, as well as with natural and artificial flavoring agents, chemical
preservatives, and other sweeteners. Its solubility is more than adequate for most
uses, and at normal concentrations it does not change the viscosity or density of
solutions. The stability of cyclamate is excellent, at both high and low temperatures,
over a wide pH range, and in the presence of light, oxygen, and other food
chemicals. Cyclamate is nonhygroscopic and will not support mold or bacterial
growth. However, like most noncaloric sweeteners, cyclamate does not provide
the bulk, texture, or body associated with sugar.