Risk Assessment of Sweeteners Used as Food Additives - Sweeteners: Nutritional Aspects, Applications, and Production Technology - page 420

14.1 BaCKGrOUND FOr the SaFetY aSSeSSMeNt
OF SWeeteNerS USeD aS FOOD aDDItIVeS

A number of sweeteners are authorized as food additives in the European Union (EU; Table
14.1). They are divided into two classes based on their relative sweetness compared to sucrose:
intense sweeteners, which are several times sweeter than sucrose, and bulk sweeteners, whose
sweetnessisalittlelessorcomparabletothatofsucrose.
Intensesweetenersarepotentiallyhigh-consumptionfoodadditives,becausetheyareusedin
productsconsumedinhighvolumesuchassoftdrinksandtabletopsweeteners.
Bulk sweeteners are hydrogenated carbohydrates, also referred to as sugar alcohols or polyols.
Theyoffercertainfunctionaladvantagesoversucroseinfoodpreparation(e.g.,loweringofthefreez-
ingpointofanicecreammixandreducingcaramelizationatheating)orcertaindieteticadvantages
(e.g.,beingnoncariogenicornotcreatinganimmediatedemandforinsulinincontrasttosucrose).
SafetyintheuseofthesweetenersauthorizedasfoodadditivesintheEUhasbeenevaluated
inaccordancewithinternationallyagreedprinciplesforthesafetyevaluationoffoodadditivesand

table 14.1 acceptable Daily Intakes of Sweeteners evaluated by the SCF/eFSa or the JeCFa

evaluating Body SCF/eFSa a JeCFa

aDI (mg/kg
bw/day)

Year of Last
evaluation

aDI (mg/kg
bw/day)

Year of Last
evaluation

Class/e N umber/Name

Intense Sweeteners

E 950 Acesulfame potassium 0-9 2000 0-15 1990

E 951 Aspartame 0-40 2002 0-40 1981

E 952 Cyclamate: cyclamic acid

and its Na and Ca salts

0-7 2000 0-11 1982

E 959 Neohesperidin DC 0-5 1988 - -

E 961 Neotame 0-2 2010 0-2 2003

E 954 Saccharin and its Na, K,

and Ca salts

0-5 1995 0-5 1993

E960 Steviol glycosides 4 2010 0-4 2009

E 955 Sucralose 0-15 2000 0-15 1990

E 957 Thaumatin Acceptable 1988 Not speciied 1985

Bulk Sweeteners

E 968 Erythritol Acceptable b 2003 Not speciied c 1999

E 953 Isomalt Acceptable b 1988 Not speciied c 1985

E 966 Lactitol Acceptable b 1988 Not speciied c 1983

E 965 Maltitol and maltitol syrup Acceptable b 1999 Not speciied c 1997

E 421 Mannitol Acceptable b 1999 Not speciied c 1986

E 420 Sorbitol Acceptable b 1984 Not speciied c 1982

E 967 Xylitol Acceptable b 1984 Not speciied c 1983

a AFC or ANS Panels.
b Provided that their laxative effect should be borne in mind. (From Scientiic Committee for Food (SCF).
Sweeteners—Opinion expressed on 14 September 1984. Reports of the Scientiic Committee for Food (16th
series). EUR 10210 EN. Luxembourg: Commission of the European Communities.1985. With permission.)
c The laxative effect in man and animals at high doses—a common feature of all polyols—should be taken into
account when considering appropriate levels of use of polyols alone and in combination (From Scientiic
Committee for Food (SCF). Sweeteners—Opinion expressed on 14 September 1984. Reports of the Scientiic
Committee for Food (16th series), EUR 10210 EN, Commission of the European Communities, Luxembourg,
1985. With permission. Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), Evaluation of certain
food additives—Twenty-seventh report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, WHO
Technical Report Series 696, 1983, and Corrigendum. [1983, TRS 696-JECFA 27], 1983a. With permission.
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), Toxicological evaluation of certain food addi-
tives. WHO Food Additive Series No. 18. [1983, FAS 18-JECFA 27], 1983b. With permission.)