Organic substances which have been synthesized in lab are known to be many times sweeter than cane sugar . Such compounds are known as artificial sweetening agents or artificial sweeteners .
Some important artificial sweeteners are given below : ( i ) Saccharin ( o-sulphobenzimide ) Discovered by Johns- Hopkins in 1879 ( University of USA ).
It is the most popular artificial sweetener . It is 550 times as sweet as cane Sugar , since it is insoluble in water , so it is sold in the market as its soluble or calcium salt .
It is non-biodegradable so excreted from the body in urine ( unchanged ). Its use is of great value for diabetic persons and people who need to control intake of calories .
( ii ) Aspartame
It is the methyl ester of the dipeptide derived from phenylalanine aspartic acid . It is also known as “ Nutra sweet ‟.
It decomposes at baking or cooking temperatures and hence , can used only in cold food and soft drinks .
Aspartame has the same amount of calories as sugar ( 4 cal per gram ).
Aspartame should not be used by people suffering from the genetic disease known as PKU ( phenyl ketone urea ). Because in such people decomposition of aspartame gives phenylpyruvic acid . Accumulation ~ phenylpyruvic acid is harmful especially to infants due to brain damage and mental retardation .