Sodium saccharin is a widely used artificial sweetener found in many food products. It was discovered as a derivative of coal tar and is 300 to 500 times sweeter than sugar. Although controversially identified as a carcinogen in the past, it is still used in combination with other artificial sweeteners in food products.
Sodium saccharin, also referred to simply as saccharin, is more commonly known as a widely used artificial sweetener. The compound is believed to be 300 to 500 times sweeter than conventional sugar or sucrose. Saccharin sodium can be found in diet sodas, syrups, baked goods, ice cream, and other sweet foods and beverages.
Pure saccharin is not water soluble enough to be useful in food products, but its sodium salt contains the properties necessary to make it useful in the manufacture of artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners are used by people who want to limit their sugar and calorie intake but still consume sweet tasting foods and drinks. While it is certainly most famous in food products, saccharin sodium is also used in the chemical and agricultural industries as an aid in the production of herbicides and pesticides. It is also used as part of a solution used to coat metals, such as gold and nickel.
This sweetener was discovered as a derivative of coal tar by Constantin Fahlberg, who was then working at John Hopkins University in Ira Remsen’s laboratory. Fahlberg discovered the sweet taste and linked it to the chemical compound he was studying. Soon after, saccharin sodium was commercialized, although it didn’t come into popular use until World War I, when sugar shortages arose. Its modern popularity and place in society over the past 50 years can be traced to its use following consumers who seek out sugar-free, low-calorie sweeteners due to their purported health benefits.
Although saccharin sodium is odorless, colorless, and has a pleasant taste, it has been controversially identified as a carcinogen in the past. The controversy is not due to the question of whether sodium saccharin should be classified as a carcinogen or not, but whether it is carcinogenic to humans. It has been shown to be a minor carcinogen in animals. Carcinogenicity in animals does not necessarily indicate carcinogenicity in humans, so it is safer to state that saccharin sodium is probably carcinogenic to humans.
In food products, this sweetener is commonly used in combination with other artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame and cyclamate. When used with aspartame, saccharin sodium is beneficial because it has a longer shelf life, so the drink will retain its sweetness. In the case of cyclamate, the combination is generally used because each sweetener serves to cover the flavors of the other.
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