What are the benefits and limitations of saccharin?
Saccharin, the oldest of the approved low-calorie sweeteners, continues to be important for a wide range of food and beverage applications. It is a very stable sweetener allowing for good product shelf life and, like aspartame, has a synergistic sweetening effect when combined with other sweeteners. Also, saccharin is 300 times sweeter than sucrose and is relatively inexpensive to manufacture. A slight aftertaste is perceived by some people. However, combining saccharin with another low-calorie sweetener helps eliminate any aftertaste. Is saccharin safe? Nearly a century of use in the food supply has allowed studies to determine if saccharin poses a risk to humans. More than 30 human studies have been completed and overwhelmingly support saccharin’s safety. One study, of 9,000 individuals conducted by the National Cancer Institute, concluded that there was “no evidence of increased risk with the long-term use of artificial sweeteners (saccharin and cyclamate) in any form or with use th
