Sugar free



A sugar substitute is a food additive which duplicates the effect of sugar in taste, but often with less food energy. In Commonwealth English, sugar substitutes are often referred to as "sweeteners" (to the exclusion of sugar).

An important group is that of high intensity sweeteners. These are compounds where the sweetness is many times that of sucrose. Accordingly, less sweetner is required and energy contribution is minimal. The sweetness profile may differ from sucrose and they are used in combinations for the most natural taste. If the sucrose (or other sugar) replaced has contributed to the texture (mouthfeel) of the product then a bulking agent is often needed. This may be seen in soft drinks such as cola labeled as "diet" or "light" or "economy" which have negligible energy but are very 'thin' or in table sugar replacements which mix maltodextrins with an intense sweetner.

The majority of high intensity sweeteners approved for food use are artifical, some natural extracts from plants are known but are yet to get approval.

The second important group of non-sugar sweetners are the poly-ols. These generally have sweetness less than sucrose but have bulk properties similar and be used in food products. Sometimes the sweetness profile is adjusted with high intensity sweetners as above.As with all food products the reformulation of a recipe to replace sucrose is a complex process.


Due to health reasons, primarily to lose weight, some people control their food energy intake by substituting sugar with other sweeteners with little or no food energy. Others, such as diabetics, must limit their consumption of sugar.

Chemical compounds used as sugar substitutes include saccharin (e.g. Sweet'N Low), aspartame (e.g. Equal, NutraSweet).

Some sugar substitutes, such as sorbitol, are used instead of sugar not because they have reduced food energy, but because they don't promote tooth decay or because they have advantages for people with diabetes ;they are metabolized more slowly and hence blood sugar levels remain more stable.

People using sugar substitutes instead of sugar take the risk of replacing one health problem with a different one. For example, saccharin is allegedly a carcinogen to lab animals when taken in high quantities, while aspartame is an alleged neurotoxin in large doses. (Note that the evidence for these claims is controversial, as the experiments involved enormous doses of the substances to animals already predisposed to certain cancers. It is unclear whether such research has any relevance to small doses in humans.) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration determined in 1981 that aspartame is safe to use in foods. It has also ruled that all products containing aspartame must include a warning to phenylketonurics that the sweetener contains phenylalanine, and continues to review complaints alleging adverse reactions to products that contain aspartame.