Acesulfame K, also known as Acesulfame K or Ace K, is a synthetic non-caloric sugar substitute (artificial sweetener) commonly sold under the trade names Sunet and Sweet One. In the EU, its name is E number E950.
The history of acesulfame potassium
Acesulfame potassium was accidentally discovered in 1967 by Karl Clauss and Harald Jensen of Hoechst AG. Developed later. After accidentally dipping his fingers in the chemicals he was working with, Klaus licked his fingers and picked up a piece of paper. Clauss is the listed inventor on a 1975 U.S. patent issued to assignee Hoechst Aktiengesellschaft covering a method of making acesulfame potassium. Subsequent research showed that many compounds with the same basic ring structure have varying degrees of sweetness. 6-Methyl-1,2,3-oxathiazin-4(3 H )-one 2,2-dioxide has particularly good taste characteristics and is relatively easy to synthesize, so it was selected for further study and was obtained The common name (acesulfame potassium-K) was approved by the World Health Organization in 1978. Acesulfame potassium was first approved for tabletop use in the United States in 1988 . White crystalline powder, molecular formula C4H4 potassium nitrate 4S, molecular weight 201.24 g/mol.
Features of acesulfame potassium
Acesulfame potassium is 200 times as sweet as sucrose (ordinary sugar), as sweet as aspartame, about two-thirds as sweet as saccharin, and one-third as sweet as sucralose. Like saccharin, it has a slightly bitter taste, especially in high concentrations. Kraft Foods patented the use of sodium ferulate to mask the aftertaste of acesulfame potassium. Acesulfame potassium is often mixed with other sweeteners, usually sucralose or aspartame. These blends are considered to have a more sucrose-like taste, with each sweetener masking the aftertaste of the other or exhibiting a synergistic effect that makes the blend sweeter than its ingredients. Acesulfame potassium has a smaller particle size than sucrose, allowing it to blend more evenly with other sweeteners.
Unlike aspartame, acesulfame potassium is stable under heat, even under moderately acidic or alkaline conditions, so it can be used as a food additive in baking, or in products requiring a longer shelf life. Although acesulfame potassium has a stable shelf life, it eventually degrades to acetate, which can be toxic at high doses. In carbonated drinks, it is almost always combined with another sweetener, such as aspartame or sucralose. It is also used as a sweetener in protein shakes and pharmaceuticals, especially chewable tablets and liquid medications, where it can make the active ingredient more palatable. The acceptable daily intake of acesulfame potassium is 15 mg/kg/day.
Acesulfame K is widely used in the human diet and is excreted via the kidneys. Therefore, researchers use it as a marker to assess how contaminated a swimming pool is with urine.
Other names for acesulfame potassium are acesulfame potassium, 6-methyl-1,2,3-oxothiazin-4(3H)-one-2,3-dioxide potassium salt, and 6-methyl- 1,2,3-Potassium salt of oxathiazin-4(3 H)-one-3-ester-2,2-dioxide.
Effect on body weight
Acesulfame K provides a sweet taste with no caloric value. There is no high-quality evidence that using acesulfame potassium as a sweetener affects body weight or body mass index (BMI).
What is acesulfame potassium?
Acesulfame potassium is a non-caloric sweetener used in foods and beverages to provide sweetness without adding the calories contained in sugar. While some types of sweeteners are considered non-caloric (such as acesulfame potassium, monk fruit sweetener, stevia sweetener, and sucralose), other types of sweeteners are low-calorie (such as aspen Batame), but these ingredients are often collectively referred to as artificial sweeteners, high-intensity sweeteners, low-calorie sweeteners, low- and no-calorie sweeteners, non-nutritive sweeteners, or sugar substitutes .
Acesulfame potassium was originally developed by German researchers in 1967 and was first approved for use in Europe in 1983. Five years later, in 1988, it was approved in the United States. Today, it is often combined with other low- and no-calorie sweeteners, such as aspartame and sucralose, to taste more like sugar than acesulfame potassium on its own.
Like other low- and no-calorie sweeteners, acesulfame potassium is very sweet. It is approximately 200 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar), so only a small amount is needed to match the sweetness provided by sugar. Acesulfame K maintains its sweetness over a wide temperature range and under many food processing conditions, which allows it to be used as an ingredient in a variety of food products, including baked goods, beverages, confectionery, chocolate, dairy products, desserts, and More. When Acesulfame Potassium is used as an ingredient in packaged foods or beverages, it will appear on the ingredient list of that product as Ace-K, Acesulfame Potassium K, or Acesulfame Potassium.
What changes will happen after taking acesulfame potassium?
Acesulfame potassium produces a sweet taste soon after consumption. Eventually, it is fully absorbed from the intestines into our bloodstream, filtered out by our kidneys, and rapidly excreted unchanged through the urine - all in about 24 hours. Small amounts of acesulfame potassium may also be excreted into the breast milk of nursing women.
Is it safe to take acesulfame potassium?
Acesulfame potassium is safe to consume. It has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 1988 and is one of eight low- and no-calorie sweeteners currently allowed in the U.S. food supply. Leading global health authorities such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), and Health Canada also Acesulfame potassium has been found to be safe for consumption.
How much acesulfame potassium is safe to take?
The FDA sets Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) levels for many of the food ingredients it allows for use in foods and beverages. The ADI is a lifetime average daily intake that is expected to be safe based on numerous studies. It is derived by determining the No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL), which is the highest intake level at which no adverse effects are found in lifetime studies in animal models. The NOAEL is then usually divided by 100. Setting the ADI 100 times lower than the upper limit of no adverse effects in toxicology studies increases the safety margin and helps ensure safety for human ingestion.
The daily ADI of acesulfame potassium approved by EFSA is 0-9 mg per kilogram (kg) of body weight. The FDA and JECFA each set the ADI at 0-15 mg/kg body weight per day. According to the FDA's ADI for acesulfame potassium, a person weighing 150 pounds (68 kg) would exceed the ADI if they consumed more than 26 servings of acesulfame potassium-containing sweeteners per day during their lifetime.
Although precise measurements of total acesulfame potassium intake in the United States are limited, a recently reported conservative average estimate of daily acesulfame potassium intake from beverages for U.S. adults is 1.8 mg/kg body weight. This intake is well below the FDA ADI. Globally, estimated intake of acesulfame potassium from food and beverages also remains well below the EFSA and JECFA ADI. A 2018 scientific review found that studies conducted since 2008 did not raise concerns about major low- and no-calorie sweeteners, including acesulfame potassium, exceeding the ADI in the general population.
Does acesulfame potassium cause cancer?
When concerns arose in the early 1970s that low-calorie sweeteners might cause cancer, the news sparked concern among governments, scientists and the public. Preliminary research suggests that saccharin causes bladder cancer in male rats and may have similar effects in humans. However, subsequent research determined that saccharin does not cause cancer in humans. The biological mechanism by which saccharin consumption causes cancer is specific to rats and does not apply to humans.
Since then, scientists have continued to study the potential link between low-calorie sweeteners and cancer. Several studies over the decades have claimed to prove that certain types of low-calorie sweeteners cause cancer, prompting widespread scrutiny of the methods used to support such conclusions. Independent government and expert reviews have repeatedly found that these studies have significant flaws and do not meet the standards for official safety assessments. Government agencies' safety assessments are based on the highest quality scientific research, which consistently shows that consuming low-calorie sweeteners does not cause cancer or increase the risk of cancer.
Can children take acesulfame potassium?
Health and food safety agencies such as EFSA, FDA and JECFA have concluded that acesulfame potassium is safe for adults and children to consume within the ADI.
Professional health organizations such as the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have issued recommendations regarding low-calorie sweetener intake in children. The American Heart Association recommends that children avoid regular drinks containing low-calorie sweeteners and instead recommends drinking water and other unsweetened beverages, such as plain milk. One of the notable exceptions to the 2018 AHA scientific recommendations is that for children with diabetes, drinking low-calorie sugary drinks instead of sugary drinks may benefit their blood sugar management. Likewise, the American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes that consumption of low-calorie sweeteners in children over two years of age may help reduce caloric intake (especially in obese children), dental caries incidence, and glycemic responses in children with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) do not recommend low-calorie sweeteners or added sugars for children under two years of age. This recommendation from the DGA has nothing to do with weight, diabetes, or the safety of added sugar or low-calorie sweeteners, but rather aims to avoid babies and young children’s preference for overly sweet foods during this stage of their development.
Can pregnant women take acesulfame potassium?
According to EFSA, FDA and JECFA, acesulfame potassium is safe for pregnant or breastfeeding women to consume within the ADI range. The FDA approves the use of acesulfame potassium in any population without any restrictions. However, pregnant women should consult their health care provider about nutritional issues, including the use of low- and no-calorie sweeteners such as acesulfame potassium.
Can diabetics take acesulfame potassium?
A recent consensus statement from experts in the fields of nutrition, medicine, physical activity, and public health cites the neutral effects of low-calorie sweeteners, including acesulfame potassium, on HbA1c, fasting and postprandial blood glucose, and insulin levels, and concludes Conclusion: Using low-calorie sweeteners in diabetes self-care may contribute to better blood glucose management.
A global health professional organization has published its conclusions on the safety and effects of low-calorie sweeteners in people with diabetes. The 2022 American Diabetes Association Diabetes Standards of Care state, “For some people with diabetes who are accustomed to regularly consuming sugar-containing products, nonnutritive sweeteners (containing few or no calories) may be a substitute for nutritive sweeteners (these Acceptable substitutes for sweeteners). Caloric-containing foods such as sugar, honey, and agave syrup), but consumed in moderation. Nonnutritive sweeteners do not appear to have a significant impact on blood sugar management, but as long as the individual does not By adding extra calories from other food sources, they can reduce overall calorie and carbohydrate intake." Diabetes Canada and Diabetes UK also support the use of low- and no-calorie sweeteners (such as acesulfame potassium) for people with diabetes. similar statements of safety and potential use.
Despite these conclusions, some studies raise questions about low-calorie sweeteners and blood sugar management. Some observational studies have shown an association between consumption of low-calorie sweeteners in diet beverages and the risk of type 2 diabetes; however, observational studies cannot prove cause and effect. Conclusions from observational study designs are at risk of reverse causation and confounding. For example, many studies did not adjust for obesity, a direct contributor to prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. This is an important omission given that overweight and obese people tend to consume more low-calorie sweetened beverages compared with leaner people.
Does acesulfame potassium cause tooth decay?
There are many factors that cause tooth decay, including the amount of sugar eaten, the consistency of the food eaten, the frequency of eating, and daily oral hygiene. Like other low- and no-calorie sweeteners, acesulfame potassium does not cause tooth decay. Bacteria in your mouth do not feed on acesulfame potassium, so it is not converted into plaque or harmful acids that cause cavities.
What's the bottom line?
Acesulfame potassium has been approved by the FDA as a food additive for more than 30 years, and its safety has been repeatedly recognized by many international health agencies. All types of foods and beverages, including those made with acesulfame potassium, can have a place in a variety of healthy eating patterns. Choosing foods and beverages sweetened with low- and no-calorie sweeteners, such as acesulfame potassium, is one way to reduce your consumption of added sugar and control calories, both of which are important components of staying healthy.
