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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the sugar contents of ready-to-eat foods distributed at amusement parks and suggested an appropriate food safety management strategy for children. Design/methodology/approach Ready-to-eat food samples (n = 322) in 17 categories were collected from the major amusement parks in Korea, and their free sugar contents were determined. Substitution of sugars in high-sugar foods with appropriate artificial sweeteners is suggested to reduce sugar intake after comparing the estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of the sweeteners with the corresponding acceptable daily intakes (ADIs). Findings Samples in three categories (tteokbokki, muffins and waffles) were classified as high-sugar foods. The substitution of all sugar in the high-sugar foods with aspartame or sucralose, among the predominant artificial sweeteners in Korea, would not increase their EDIs to higher values than the corresponding ADIs for both children and adolescents. Consequently, substitutions of sugars in high-sugar foods with aspartame or sucralose are suggested. Partial substitutions (45 and 40 per cent, respectively) of sugar are recommended for muffin and waffle, considering their baking properties and current sugar contents. Social implications This paper reveals the necessity of an appropriate safety management system for ready-to-eat foods distributed at amusement parks. Originality/value The potential risks caused by sugar in ready-to-eat foods distributed at amusement parks and the substitution of sugar with artificial sweeteners has rarely been assessed. The approaches proposed in this paper minimise the risks posed by both sugar and artificial sweeteners simultaneously, and may be useful in the development of a food safety management system.

High sugar content in beverage or food can affect the aging process, and thus natural/artificial sweeteners are widely used as substitutes. However, whether sweeteners have such adverse effects as sugar remains to be clarified. Therefore, in the current study, three sulfa sweeteners, namely, saccharin sodium salt hydrate (SAC 2 ), sodium cyclamate (CYC 3 ) and acesulfame potassium (AceK 4 ) were evaluated for their effects on the lifespan, deposition of lipofuscin, exercise activity, food intake, and intestinal fat deposition (IFD 5 ) of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans 6 ). It was shown that SAC at 0.3 and 10 mg/mL shortened the lifespan of C. elegans and impaired the exercise capacity, while at other concentrations no significant effects were observed. In contrast, CYC at 0.1, 1 and 10 mg/mL prolonged the lifespan of C. elegans. On the other hand, AceK at 1 mg/mL increased the lifespan of C. elegans, and could decrease both lipofuscin deposition and IFD in a dose-dependent manner. Taken together, these results indicated that although SAC, CYC, and AceK all belong to the sulfa sweeteners, each has distinct effects on different physiological activities associated with aging, at least in C. elegans.

Gluten free (GF) protein enriched cookies with reduced calories were developed using sweet potato, rice, sorghum and corn flour. The level of sweet potato flour was standardized and found acceptable up to 55% with corn, sorghum and rice flour at the ratio of 1:3:5 respectively. High protein and low calorie gluten free cookies were developed by replacing sweet potato flour with whey protein concentrate (WPC) at 0, 5, 10 and 15% levels and sucrose with sucralose at 0, 30, 50, 70 and 100%. It’s physical, proximate and sensorial characteristics were considered and it was investigated that the thickness and hardness of GF cookies increased; weight, diameter, spread ratio and spread factor decreased with increasing levels of WPC while there was raise in protein and crude fiber content and reduction in fat, carbohydrate and calorie contents. The GF cookies with 15% and 70% replacement of WPC and sucralose respectively scored highest for the entire sensory characteristic.

Premixes of kheer have huge demand in domestic as well as international market. Most available premixes are calorie-rich which limit their consumption by diabetics and health conscious consumers. The present work focused on developing low-energy kheer using extruded noodle grits pre-sweetened with three non-caloric sweeteners viz. aspartame, acesulfame-k and sucralose. The stability of the sweeteners was evaluated as a function of extrusion process variables. The effect of die temperature at screw speeds of 80 and 200 rpm at fixed moisture content of 200 g/kg was studied. Extruded grits required significantly less cooking time in both milk (12 min) and water (9 min) as compared to control (40–42 min). Cooking losses were higher in milk than water which was desirable for the consistency and sensory quality of kheer. Cooking losses increased with screw speed but decreased with an increase in die temperature. Higher retention of sweeteners was achieved at screw speed of 80 rpm and die temperature below 150 °C. The stability of sweeteners was sucralose > acesulfame-k > aspartame. Sensory analysis revealed that residual sweeteners were sufficient to produce desired sweetness. Thus extrusion could be effectively used to produce ready-to-cook pre-sweetened rice noodle grits as an ingredient for kheer premix.

In this work, electrochemical sensors were developed for the detection of artificial sweeteners such as D-sorbitol and Maltitol in aqueous solutions. These compounds are classified as polyalcohols and are widely used in the food and beverage industry to replace common sugar. However, their consumption is not currently regulated, and excessive use leads to consequences in the body such as increased blood glucose levels. Graphene oxide (OG) inks were prepared, which were deposited on vitreous carbon (CV) electrodes, followed by enzymatic immobilization. The detection capacity of the biosensors was evaluated applying electrochemical techniques. The biosensor with the best levels of detection, reproducibility and durability for the analytes under study for the detection of D-Sorbitol turned out to be that measured at a working voltage of 0.86 V vs Ag / AgCl / KCl (3 M), depositing 20 μL of OG ink and using a dilution of 0.5 μL / 100 μL of (alcohol oxidase / PBS). In the case of Maltitol the best designed biosensor was worked at 1.06 V vs Ag / AgCl / KCl (3 M), depositing 20 μL of OG ink and using a dilution of 2.0 μL / 100 μL of (alcohol oxidase / phosphate buffer).

Various food additives are being produced and consumed by population in greater and greater quantities and risks of probable toxic effects exerted by them are growing as well. These additives frequently occur in various combinations in food products and the environment, they can be consumed for a long period of time and produce hazardous mutagenic and car-cinogenic effects. Therefore, it is extremely vital to assess combined impacts exerted by food additives so that their safety would be proven. There are certain advantages related to vegetative test-systems and cytogenetic analysis procedures for biological tests data when it comes to screening for toxic and mutagenic effects produced by chemicals. Allium-test which applies Allium cera bulb onion roots as a test-object is quite distinctive. When compared with other tests that employ animals and various cell cultures, this test turns out to be less complicated and costly and more sensitive as well. Our research goal was to examine influences exerted by such artificial sweeteners as aspartame and sucralose on living weight gain and mitotic anomalies frequency in apical meristem cells in Allium cera bulb onion roots. We also assessed a synergy effect caused by combined exposure to both these chemicals. We detected that aspartame caused a significant decrease in root living weight against the control while there were no toxic effects caused by sucralose. Maximum toxicity was detected when a test-system was exposed to both artificial sweeteners together and it was considered to result from the above mentioned synergy effect. Chromosome aberrations frequency in test samples differed insignificantly from the control but we also detected authentic changes in chromosome anomalies spectrum in root meristem cells. Disorders in chromosome disjunction and anomalies in the mitotic apparatus were the most frequently registered ones.

In experiment 1, a total of 30 weaning pigs were allotted to three dietary treatments to check the palatability of the dietary feed. Diet treatments were as follows: reference diets = basal diets + 0.05% saccharin (50% Saccharin-natrium), TRT1 = 0.03% saccharin–neotame mix (50% Saccharine-natrium + 2% Neotame), TRT2 = 0.02% neotame (10% Neotame), and TRT3 = 0.02% saccharin–neotame mix (10% Saccharine-natrium + 10% Neotame). TRT2 group was significantly higher than other treatments in palatability (P

BACKGROUND Long-term artificial sweetener consumption has been reported to induce glucose intolerance, and the intestinal microbiota seems as an important target. While the impacts of artificial sweeteners on energy balance remain controversial, this work aimed to evaluate the protective effects in mice of a low digestible carbohydrate (LDC) diet on plasma glucose, plasma fasting insulin, sweet taste receptors, glucose transporters, and absorption of carbohydrates, together with consumption of acesulfame potassium (AK) or saccharin (SAC). RESULTS Artificial sweetener was administered to mice for 12 weeks to induce glucose metabolism disorders; mice were treated with an LDC diet for the final 6 weeks. The experimental groups were treated with an LDC diet that had the same energy as the normal-diet group. Prolonged administration of artificial sweeteners led to metabolic dysfunction, characterized by significantly increased plasma glucose, insulin resistance, sweet taste receptors, glucose transporters, and absorption of carbohydrates. Treatment with an LDC diet positively modulated these altered parameters, suggesting overall beneficial effects of an LDC diet on detrimental changes associated with artificial sweeteners. CONCLUSIONS Reducing digestible carbohydrates in the diet can significantly reduce the absorption of carbohydrates and improve glucose metabolism disorders caused by dietary factors. These effects may be due to the fact that reducing the amount of digestible carbohydrates in the feed can reduce the number of intestinal sweet receptors induced by exposure to artificial sweeteners. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

A simple and rapid method was developed for the simultaneous determination of five preservatives, six artificial sweeteners, and nine synthetic dyes in kimchi using ultra-performance liquid chromat...

A laboratory experiment is detailed that entails the separation and derivatization of the artificial sweetener sucralose from a commercially available sweetener mixture. The experiment utilizes 1 g...

Background: Susstofftabletten is an artificial sweetener, which is mainly composed of cyclamate and saccharin. Aim of the work: clarification of Susstofftabletten effects and the amelioration effect of vitamin E in male albino rats. Materials and methods: thirty male albino rats weighing from 100 to 120 gm. The period of the experiment was 30 days. The animals were divided into three groups; group 1: control, group 2: rats received Susstofftabletten (1 tablet/25kg b.w./day) and group 3: rats received Susstofftabletten (1tablet/25kg b.w./day) + vitamin E (6 mg/kg b.w./day). The following parameters were measured: serum glucose, ASAT, ALAT, serum creatinine, serum urea, protein and lipid profiles and hormonal levels (insulin, testosterone, serum T3 and serum T4). Results: there were many disturbances that occurred in the previous parameters, and vitamin E ameliorated most of these hazardous effects. Conclusion: the assertions that artificial sweeteners are safe and healthy in use by consumers are false. Natural sweeteners whose benefits are important and necessary to our bodies must be used instead of artificial sweeteners. Also vitamin E is very important in our daily diet as it fights many damages that encounter us.

Generally, non-nutritive artificial sweeteners are widely utilized as sugar substitute in various applications. With various applications, non-nutritive artificial sweeteners are now being recognized as emerging contaminants with high water persistence and are chemically stable in environment. Although non-nutritive artificial sweeteners were documented on their occurrence in environment, yet their potential impacts to environment and human health remain ambiguous. Therefore, this review was prepared to provide a more comprehensive insight of non-nutritive artificial sweeteners in environment matrixes by highlighting special concerns on human health and environmental risks. Precisely, this review monitors the exploration of non-nutritive artificial sweeteners occurrences as an emerging contaminants in environment worldwide and their associated risks to human as well as environment. At present, there are a total of 24 non-nutritive artificial sweeteners' studies with regards to their occurrence in the environment from 38 locations globally, spanning across Europe including United Kingdoms, Canada, United States and Asia. Overall, the quantitative findings suggested that the occurrence of non-nutritive artificial sweeteners is present in surface water, tap water, groundwater, seawater, lakes and atmosphere. Among these environmental matrixes, surface water was found as the most studied matrix involving non-nutritive artificial sweeteners. However, findings on non-nutritive artificial sweeteners impacts on human health and environment are limited to understanding its overall potential impacts and risks. Additionally, this review also serves as a framework for future monitoring plans and environmental legislative to better control these emerging contaminants in environment.

Background: Aspartame is one of the most widely used artificial sweeteners in over 90 countries worldwide in over 6000 products, including carbonated and powdered soft drinks, hot chocolate, chewinggum, candy, desserts, yogurt, and tabletop sweeteners, as well as some pharmaceutical products like vitamins and sugar-free cough drops. Aspartame has been shown to induce oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation; most serious effects result from chronic exposure due to these effects. Also it shows organ and species toxicity with relation to the liver, kidney, brain, testis and other organs. The aim of this study is to spotlight on aspartame, the most widely used artificial sweetener regarding benefits and Hazards. This essay was conducted by reviewing the literature, researches, and textbooks dealing with aspartame. Conclusion: We found that aspartame is a good& beneficial artificial sweetener; FDA approved a safe daily dosage of 40 mg/kg/ day regarding diabetes and obesity. Harmful if used in larger doses regarding neurobehavioral, hepatic, testicular and other organ dysfunction, however it has no effects on breastfeeding or carcinogenic effects.Therfore, the role of physicians is to adjust the dose of aspartame to that which approved by FDA and do more clinical studies to detect more benefits and hazards.

The present work is a trial to compare effect of short and long term administrations of sucrose as a natural widely used sweetener, aspartame as a synthetic non-caloric sweetener and stevia as a novel natural non-caloric sweetener on rats' brain hippocampus. This was achieved using 64 male albino rats. Rats were divided into four groups. The first group served as control group receiving distilled water. The second group represented the sucrose group receiving 10% sucrose solution (weight /volume). The third group served as aspartame group receiving aspartame (75 mg/kg body weight /day).The fourth group represented the stevia group and received (40 mg/kg body weight/day).Animals received different experimental treatments by oral gavage and they were dissected after a short duration of 30 days and long experimental duration of 90 days. Histological investigation of hippocampal sections of hippocampus revealed neuronal degeneration with pyknotic nuclei, dilatation and congestion in blood vessels and spongiform changes in the neuropil after both sucrose and aspartame treatments. On the other hand, stevia treatment to rats showed near to normal pattern of the granular and the neuropil. Histochemical, stained sections of Bromophenol blue stain to hippocampal tissue recorded significant decrease in protein content in hippocampus in sucrose group and aspartame groups respectively after 90 days compared with stevia and control rats. Staining hippocampus tissue of rats treated with sucrose or aspartame with Congo red stain revealed cellular homogenous pink deposits of amyloid throughout the hippocampus tissue. This was decreased and observed as limited or few amyloid depositions in stevia group compared to controls. In conclusion, Stevia, a non-calorific sweetener, is a better alternative to the synthetic sweetener aspartame because stevia has the potential to assist individuals in regulating their weights without any recognized side effects on hippocampus tissue besides its health benefits as a natural antioxidant.

In response to growing concerns about the consumption of artificial sweeteners, the demand for natural sweeteners has recently increased. Mogroside V is a common natural sweetener extracted from the fruit of Siraitia grosvenorii, but its taste should be improved for marketability. Here, we screened various microbes for the ability to perform selective hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds in mogroside V, converting it to siamenoside I, which has a higher sweetening power and better taste than other mogrosides. Dekkera bruxellensis showed the most promising results in the screen, and the Exg1 gene (coding for a β-glucosidase) of D. bruxellensis was cloned and purified. We then used HPLC-MS/MS to assess the β-glucosidase activity of purified enzymes on p-nitrophenyl β-glucoside and mogroside V. The results demonstrated that D. bruxellensis had a unique enzyme that can selectively hydrolyze mogrol glycosides and promote the conversion of the natural sweetener mogroside V to siamenoside I.

In the present study, we substituted sugar with artificial sweeteners (erythritol, fracto-oligosaccharide, tagatose, erythritol with stevia (erythritol: stevia leaf extract = 90:10)) in custard pudding, and compared to the quality characteristics and sensory properties of custard puddings with vario...

Artificial sweeteners (ASs) have been widely accepted as indicators to evaluate wastewater (WW) impact. Although the characteristics of ASs align with ideal WW indicators, additional critical consideration is needed for future WW impact assessments using these compounds. For example, alternate inputs of ASs in the environment and possible attenuation of ASs under WW treatment processes and environmental conditions have been reported. Therefore, a re-assessment of the assumptions on the specificity and stability of ASs is required. Temporal and geographical variance of ASs in WW reinforces the importance of accurately characterizing waste sources before investigating their impact in receiving water bodies. Overall, sensitive and reliable analytical methods continue to facilitate the utilization of ASs as WW impact indicators for future investigations.

Sales of low-calorie sweeteners are increasing in the Unites States, with sucralose representing the second largest of the U.S. market share. Since >99% of ingested sucralose is excreted as the parent compound, it represents a contaminant of emerging concern and has been proposed as an indicator of pollution of natural waters by anthropogenic waste. Many report that it is increasingly omnipresent in surface, coastal, and drinking water. Given the increasing consumption of low-calorie sweeteners, changes in influent and effluent sucralose concentrations presage their concentrations in natural waters. The aim of this research was to quantify sucralose at a constructed treatment wetland that was designed to remove nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) from secondary treated wastewater. We report the concentrations of sucralose in the surface water, sediment, and porewater throughout the flow train of the wetlands over a period of three years and include surface water sampling following an extreme weather event. The average influent surface water concentration of sucralose was 24 ± 2 ppb, and the average outfall concentration was 20 ± 6 ppb, indicating the sucralose is not subjected to chemical or physical adsorption in the sediment within the wetland.

The widespread use of artificial sweeteners as additives in food, beverages, medicines and oral care products has led to the accumulation of these substances in aquatic ecosystems around the world. Since most of them are metabolically inert and are incompletely eliminated in wastewater treatment plants, municipal wastewater is the main source of these compounds in the environment. Due to the limited knowledge of their environmental fate and ecotoxicity, artificial sweeteeners are recognized as high-priority emerging contaminants. Some of them, such as acesulfame and sucralose, are very persistent in the aquatic environment, so they can be used as chemical markers of municipal wastewater pollution. In this paper, the presence of the most commonly used sweeteners in the Republic of Serbia (acesulfame, saccharin, cyclamate, sucralose and aspartame) was investigated in groundwater from two Belgrade Ranney wells, as well as in the Sava River, in order to assess the impact of untreated municipal wastewater on water sources, using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry.ers as additives in food, beverages, medicines and oral care products has led to the accumulation of these substances in aquatic ecosystems around the world. Since most of them are metabolically inert and are incompletely eliminated in wastewater treatment plants, municipal wastewater is the main source of these compounds in the environment. Due to the limited knowledge of their environmental fate and ecotoxicity, artificial sweeteeners are recognized as high-priority emerging contaminants. Some of them, such as acesulfame and sucralose, are very persistent in the aquatic environment, so they can be used as chemical markers of municipal wastewater pollution. In this paper, the presence of the most commonly used sweeteners in the Republic of Serbia (acesulfame, saccharin, cyclamate, sucralose and aspartame) was investigated in groundwater from two Belgrade Ranney wells, as well as in the Sava River, in order to assess the impact of untreated municipal wastewater on water sources, using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry.

Simple Summary The usage of artificial sweetener has been increased from year to year as the result of pursuing healthy lifestyle. However, ironically, several studies suggest that the consumption of artificial sweeteners cause sugar-related adverse effects (e.g., obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease). In this study, we explore the potential cardiovascular adverse effect of several artificial sweeteners using zebrafish as animal model. We found that artificial sweetener at the highest concentration found in nature only slightly alter the cardiovascular performance of zebrafish larvae. Furthermore, no alteration of cardiac performance showed after longer incubation which support the safety of artificial sweeteners. Abstract Artificial sweeteners are widely used food ingredients in beverages and drinks to lower calorie intake which in turn helps prevent lifestyle diseases such as obesity. However, as their popularity has increased, the release of artificial sweetener to the aquatic environment has also increased at a tremendous rate. Thus, our study aims to systematically explore the potential cardiovascular physiology alterations caused by eight commercial artificial sweeteners, including acesulfame-K, alitame, aspartame, sodium cyclamate, dulcin, neotame, saccharine and sucralose, at the highest environmentally relevant concentration on cardiovascular performance using zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model system. Embryonic zebrafish were exposed to the eight artificial sweeteners at 100 ppb and their cardiovascular performance (heart rate, ejection fraction, fractional shortening, stroke volume, cardiac output, heartbeat variability, and blood flow velocity) was measured and compared. Overall, our finding supports the safety of artificial sweetener exposure. However, several finding like a significant increase in the heart rate and heart rate variability after incubation in several artificial sweeteners are noteworthy. Biomarker testing also revealed that saccharine significantly increase the dopamine level in zebrafish larvae, which is might be the reason for the cardiac physiology changes observed after saccharine exposure.

Sugar-sweetened beverages are associated with metabolic dysfunction, particularly in those with increased risk factors. Artificial sweeteners (AS) are often promoted as a healthier alternative, yet findings remain conflicting as to their effects on metabolic function. Further, there is a lack of data exploring the interaction between AS and high-fat diets (HFD). We therefore examined the effects of HFD and the AS Acesulfame-potassium (Ace-K) on glucose intolerance and adipose tissue physiology in male and female C57BL/6 mice. 40 mice were randomised to receive either a) a control diet (CDCon; standard control diet/water), b) control diet and Ace-k (CDAS; CD/7.5mM AS in drinking water), c) HFD (HFCon; HFD (45%kcal from fat)/water), or d) HF and AS (HFAS; HFD/7.5mM AS in drinking water) for 6 weeks. A HFD increased body weight in male and female mice independently of AS supplementation. AS induced sex-specific effects protecting against HFD-induced hyperglycaemia and adipocyte hypertrophy in male mice and reducing inflammatory gene expression in the adipose tissue. Conversely in females, AS induced hyperinsulinemia in HFD mice and increased expression of immune-related genes. These findings suggest that supplementation of HFD with AS exacerbates metabolic dysfunction in female mice. This work supports the importance of studying sexually dimorphic responses to an altered nutritional environment and highlights the need for further investigation into the intake of AS, particularly in those already at risk of metabolic disease such as the obese or overweight.

Objective Nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS) have been widely implemented as replacements for naturally occurring sugars in a wide array of foods, beverages, and non-consumables for the sake of reducing calories. The use of these products, whether naturally occurring or manufactured, have become commonplace and accepted as de facto beneficial. This point argues that rigorous analysis of the available data do not confirm benefit and indeed suggest harm. Methods A literature review was conducted on all the available NNS supplements that are commonly used in all types of products. There was a focus on studies that evaluated the long-term as well as neurohormonal effects of NNS products. Key words used in the search included artificial sweeteners, nonnutritive sweeteners, saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame, sucralose, stevia, xylitol, and erythritol. Results There was a consistent trend of no to minimal benefit when NNS were used instead of calorie-containing sweeteners particularly in persons with obesity or pre-diabetes risks. There was a consistent finding of detriment to the neurohormonal regulation of satiety, weight, and energy regulation. The only studies that were neutral to positive were biased studies funded by the large food and beverage corporations or done in healthy weight individuals without any underlying health concerns and for a very short time frame. Conclusion Although NNS usage has become ubiquitous, there has been very little in the way of rigorous review of the neurohormonal and physiologic effects. The arguments for NNS are purely thermodynamic in nature despite the overwhelming evidence that obesity and adiposity-related diseases are not that simplistic in their pathophysiology. Given that there are differences in how individuals process nutrition signals, very few studies focus on gender or disease predisposition differences and how they affect the outcomes when NNS are used. Studies that controlled these variables showed worsening outcomes when NNS products are used in the fight against adiposity-related diseases, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes. Alterations in the gut microbiome towards a more inflammatory pattern of gut microbiota is a disturbing finding in acute as well as chronic users of NNS regardless of baseline weight or disease. Most importantly, there were numerous studies that found long-term damage to the neurohormonal control of satiety in chronic users of NNS. In the fight against obesity and adiposity-related diseases, we cannot afford to blindly accept their usage based on a broken paradigm of thermodynamics and false assumptions that we are all created equal biologically.

Aspartame is a sweetener introduced to replace the commonly used sucrose. It was discovered by James M. Schlatter in 1965. Being 180–200 times sweeter than sucrose, its intake was expected to reduce obesity rates in developing countries and help those struggling with diabetes. It is mainly used as a sweetener for soft drinks, confectionery, and medicines. Despite its widespread use, its safety remains controversial. This narrative review investigates the existing literature on the use of aspartame and its possible effects on the human body to refine current knowledge. Taking to account that aspartame is a widely used artificial sweetener, it seems appropriate to continue research on safety. Studies mentioned in this article have produced very interesting results overall, the current review highlights the social problem of providing visible and detailed information about the presence of aspartame in products. The studies involving the impact of aspartame on obesity, diabetes mellitus, children and fetus, autism, neurodegeneration, phenylketonuria, allergies and skin problems, its cancer properties and its genotoxicity were analyzed. Further research should be conducted to ensure clear information about the impact of aspartame on health.

Hyder Mirghani,1 Naif Alali,1,2 Hani Albalawi,2 Ruba ALselaimy3 1Internal Medicine and Endocrine, Medical Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 2Ophthalmology Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 3Ophthalmology Department, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Hyder MirghaniFaculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, PO Box 3378, Tabuk, 51941, Saudi ArabiaTel +966569344569Email s.hyder63@hotmail.conmPurpose: Assessing diabetic retinopathy (DR) risk factors and daily nutrition habits are vital for prevention. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between diet soda cans, non-nutritive sweetener consumption, and diabetic retinopathy.Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 patients attending a diabetes center in Tabuk City, Saudi Arabia, from September 2019 to July 2020. A structured questionnaire was used to collect patients’ demographic factors, and DR risk factors including the use of diet soda, non-nutritive sweeteners, and exercise habits. Dilated fundus eye examination was done to detect any diabetic retinopathy. A blood sample was taken for measuring glycated hemoglobin to assess the degree of glycemic control.Results: The participant’s age was 50.74 ± 13.51 years, and the duration since the diagnosis of diabetes was 9.99 ± 6.97 years, body mass index was 27.28 ± 4.68, and HbA1c %, 8.50 ± 1.61), the patients used to consume 1.31 ± 1.57 diet soda cans/week, and 1.06± 1.39 artificial sweeteners/sachet/day. DR was found in 33%. Diet sugar-free carbonated soda beverage was associated with poor glycemic control and retinopathy, while non-caloric flavor consumption was associated with obesity (P-value< 0.05). No association was evident regarding other factors (P-value> 0.05).Conclusion: Diet sugar-free carbonated soda beverage was associated with higher HbA1c and retinopathy, while non-caloric flavor consumption was associated with obesity. No association was evident regarding other factors. Further larger multicenter studies are needed.Keywords: non-caloric flavors, carbonated soda beverage, diabetic retinopathy

Natural sweeteners and artificial sweeteners are the two available sweeteners available for use in pharmaceutical industry. The sweeteners are used as excipients to improve the perception of taste and to mask the bitter taste of some drugs. The use of natural sweeteners is increasing due to their lower toxicity than the artificial ones. Natural sweeteners, especially the non-saccharide sugars are non-toxic, have low calorific value and super sweet (100-10,000 times more sweet than artificial sweeteners). Moreover, they are easily available in nature and can be consumed by the diabetic patients. The secondary metabolite responsible for sweet taste can be grouped under, dihydrochalcones, proteins, polyols, volatile oils, terpenoids, steroidal saponins, etc. They are effective at low concentrations, stable at varying temperature range, non-carcinogenic, compatible with a wide range of drug substance and other excipients in the formulation. In pharmaceutical industry, they are currently used to prepare liquid, oral preparations, prepare the syrup base, employed in coating of pills and tablets and a vehicle for many drugs. The low-calorie value helps to prevent obesity and can be easily consumed by overweight individuals. Most of the natural sweeteners are nutritive so it provides additional nutrition. But, the mixing of natural sweeteners with the substandard artificial ones needs to be controlled.

The objective of this study was to measure the concentrations of three intensity sweeteners (Acesulfame-K, cyclamate and saccharin) in different categories of food available on the Nanjing market, and to investigate whether the Nanjing general population was at risk for exceeding the ADI of sweeteners. A set of 1885 foods was collected and analysed using the National Food Safety Standard procedure in order to establish the concentration levels of the sweeteners. Dietary exposure was estimated using probabilistic modelling software and compared directly with each sweetener's ADI. Consumption data from the China National Nutrition and Health Survey (conducted in 2010-2013) and the actual concentrations of sweeteners in the collected food products were used to perform the intake assessment. The results indicated that Acesulfame-K and cyclamate were commonly used in processed food, and processed nuts, preserved fruit, beverages, and bakery products are the main sources of sweeteners in Nanjing. The estimated exposure of sweeteners in Nanjing was well below the ADIs, as relative intakes at the 95th percentile were 29.7% for saccharin, 79.8% for cyclamate, and 35.9% for Acesulfame-K of the respective ADIs. It was concluded that adults were not at risk of exceeding ADIs for these sweeteners, but the intake of cyclamate at the higher percentiles by children may approach or slightly exceed ADI values.

Acesulfame-K, aspartame, cyclamate, neotame, saccharin, and sucralose are highly water-soluble artificial sweeteners (ASs) that are widely used in consumer products and represent a billion USD global market in 2020. In part because they are poorly removed by conventional water treatment, and acesulfame and sucralose also resist biodegradation and advanced oxidation, multiple ASs co-occur in tap water across the globe, generally at ng/L concentrations but also at µg/L concentrations. Through a review of the literature, this is the first research to integrate taste threshold concentrations with concentrations measured in drinking water to assess if consumers’ tap water will taste sweet. The taste threshold concentrations for acesulfame-K, aspartame, cyclamate, neotame, saccharin, and sucralose are 8.94, 6.59, 105.5, 0.24, and 3.49 mg/L, respectively. While reported concentration of artificial sweeteners in tap water are below their known taste thresholds for sweetness and range from ng/L to hundreds of µg/L, binary combinations of ASs can have a more intense sweetness than one artificial sweetener alone, and hard water can enhance the sweetness of acesulfame-K. Additionally, global production and consumption of ASs is expected to increase 2-5% annually; this increase, when coupled with degradation resistance and persistence, will allow AS concentrations to increase in the water cycle. Thus, in order to maintain consumer satisfaction and confidence, the drinking water industry must be vigilant concerning tastants in their tap water at levels and combinations detectable by consumers.

We investigated the detrimental effects of chronic consumption of sweet or sweetened beverages in mice. We report that consumption of beverages containing small amounts of sucrose during several weeks impaired reward systems. This is evidenced by robust changes in the activation pattern of prefrontal brain regions associated with abnormal risk-taking and delayed establishment of decision-making strategy. Supporting these findings, we find that chronic consumption of low doses of artificial sweeteners such as saccharin disrupts brain regions’ activity engaged in decision-making and reward processes. Consequently, this leads to the rapid development of inflexible decisions, particularly in a subset of vulnerable individuals. Our data also reveal that regular consumption, even at low doses, of sweet or sweeteners dramatically alters brain neurochemistry, i.e., dopamine content and turnover, and high cognitive functions, while sparing metabolic regulations. Our findings suggest that it would be relevant to focus on long-term consequences on the brain of sweet or sweetened beverages in humans, especially as they may go metabolically unnoticed.

Energy drinks containing significant quantities of caffeine, taurine and sugar are increasingly consumed, particularly by adolescents and young adults. The putative effects of chronic ingestion of either standard energy drink, MotherTM (ED), or its sugar-free formulation (sfED) on metabolic syndrome were determined in wild-type C57BL/6J mice, in comparison to a soft drink, Coca-Cola (SD), a Western-styled diet enriched in saturated fatty acids (SFA), and a combination of SFA + ED. Following 13 weeks of intervention, mice treated with ED were hyperglycaemic and hypertriglyceridaemic, indicating higher triglyceride glucose index, which was similar to the mice maintained on SD. Surprisingly, the mice maintained on sfED also showed signs of insulin resistance with hyperglycaemia, hypertriglyceridaemia, and greater triglyceride glucose index, comparable to the ED group mice. In addition, the ED mice had greater adiposity primarily due to the increase in white adipose tissue, although the body weight was comparable to the control mice receiving only water. The mice maintained on SFA diet exhibited significantly greater weight gain, body fat, cholesterol and insulin, whilst blood glucose and triglyceride concentrations remained comparable to the control mice. Collectively, these data suggest that the consumption of both standard and sugar-free forms of energy drinks induces metabolic syndrome, particularly insulin resistance.

With the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO) to reduce the sugar consumption of children and adults to less than 10% of the total energy intake, many people turned to sweeteners. Aspartame (E951), an artificial sweetener, is synthesized from L-phenylalanine or methyl ester of L-phenylalanine with L-aspartic acid. It is an amphoteric dipeptide composed of aspartic acid and phenylalanine. Apart from chemical peptide synthesis, aspartame can also be synthesized enzymatically commercially. 1 gr of it gives 4 Kcal energy. The taste perception of aspartame appears delayed and lasts a long time. Since it is not heat resistant during cooking, it can only be used as a sweetener in cold drinks and food, coffee, tea. Although there were some scientific objections after the introduction of aspartame to the market, animal and human experiments and investigations started to increase. In another study; Consumption of 40, 75, 500 mg/kg/day aspartame have increased oxidative stress parameters and has been reported to damage liver antioxidant capacity. Also, in some other studies in which negative effects on experimental animals were discussed, 250, 500, 1000 mg/kg/day aspartame consumption was found to significantly increase the liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Besides, studies showing that aspartame does not have negative effects on health, 240 mg/kg/day aspartame consumption did not make a significant difference in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) value, and there was no significant difference between the groups in fasting blood glucose with 4% aspartame solution daily consumption. On the other hand, studies on aspartame toxicity also have conflicting results. Some studies using in vivo and in vitro tests have shown that aspartame does not cause genotoxicity, DNA damage, and mutagenesis, but does stimulate chromosome aberrations and micronucleus formation. Many studies have been done to show the safety of aspartame. The European Food Safety Authority stated in its 2013 re-evaluation that aspartame is safe for human consumption at current exposure levels. In a review evaluating the data obtained from aspartame studies, it is supported that aspartame is a safe sweetener when used within the recommended dose limits. For aspartame, this value (ADI) has been recommended as 40 mg/kg body weight/day. Considering its association with age, gender, personal metabolism, and metabolic diseases, it was concluded that the use of aspartame is safe, with the fact that it has some harmful effects depending on the exposure time and dose.&nbsp

Artificial sweeteners are food additives that provide a sweet taste like that of sugar while containing significantly fewer or no calories. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of commercial artificial sweeteners on mouse limb development. Adult female mice were divided into three groups: control group, vehicle control group and treated group. The treated group received orally 40 mg/kg body weight artificial sweetener solution, while the vehicle control group received distilled water. The groups were left to mate with normal untreated male mice. On confirmed conception, pregnant females were separated from males. The dose was orally given to the test group before mating, throughout the gestational period till three weeks after giving birth. Foetuses E14.5 and E19.5, were extracted, and newborn and 3 weeks old offspring were examined, and their growth parameters were measured. Congenital malformations were seen in the treated group, such as cerebellar hypertrophy, an increase in the number of forelimbs, atrophy in the lower limb. In some embryos, the amniotic membrane was adherent to the embryo with a very low amount of amniotic fluid. Bone malformation was clearly seen in 1-week offspring, as basic forelimb and hind limb bones were missing. The results of this study showed that there was significant growth retardation in E14.5 and newborns. While in E19.5- and week 3 offspring, there was a significant growth increase (increase in weight, body length tail length and tail length to body length ratio). It was concluded that commercial artificial sweeteners altered growth rate during embryonic development and produced bone and limb congenital malformations in mice.

Background: Diet soda consumption has frequently been linked to obesity and its comorbidities in epidemiological studies. Whether this link is causal and a potential mechanism remains to be determined. Aim/Methods: This randomized, cross-over, controlled pilot study sought to determine whether there may be changes in reward-related brain activations to visual food cues after acute consumption of diet soda versus regular soda or carbonated water using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Results: Diet soda as compared to carbonated water consumption increased activation of reward-related caudate to highly versus less desirable food cues. Diet soda as compared to regular soda increased reward-related insula and decreased activation of cognitive control-related dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to food cues versus non-food cues. No changes in ratings of hunger an hour after beverage consumption were observed. Conclusions: These results may suggest a potential mechanism for diet soda to increase food palatability through activation of the reward system and suppression of inhibitory control that remains to be confirmed by future studies.

Artificial Sweeteners (AS) are synthetic sugar substitutes that have sweetening potency hundreds of times more than the table sugar (sucrose). Artificial sweeteners are regarded as attractive alternatives to sugar as they add no calories to food intake. There are many hypotheses suggesting that AS may enhance appetite and cause weight gain. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of AS on food intake, fluid intake and body weight of mice. Acceptable daily intakes of AS solutions were administered orally to different set of mice for four weeks. The body weight, food consumption and fluid intake were measured. At the same time, the effect of Zingiber officinale extracts (natural appetite suppressor), Thymus vulgaris extracts (natural appetite inducer) and cyproheptadine (an appetite stimulant drug) on body weight of mice was evaluated. Artificial sweeteners consumption cause insignificant changes in body weight (p>0.05). However, the mean consumption of food and solutions varies significantly for some groups. The consumption of AS has no significant effect on body weight and may contribute to weight maintenance and energy balance as substitutes to high caloric sugar

Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni), commonly known as a natural sweetener plant or sweet herb grabs the economic and scientific interests owing to its sweetness and therapeutic properties present in its leaves mainly due to the presence of steviol glycosides (SGs), with stevioside being the most abundant, followed by rebaudioside. Stevioside, the most abundant active component, is greatly preferred by diabetic patients since it is a non-calorie sweetener and is approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a dietary supplement. This shows the benefits of stevia over other artificial sweeteners as an ingredient for the food business, subsequently, making stevia an increasingly appropriate substitute for saccharine in various drinks, beverages, and bakery products. Stevia also offers therapeutic benefits having anti-hyperglycemic, anti-hypertensive, and immunomodulatory effects. These beneficial effects largely focused on the importance of stevia. Sexually developed plants were not efficient because of low fertility and reduced viability. However, quality planting material can be produced through biotechnological approaches like micropropagation. To date, a great deal of studies has been completed on the tissue culture intervened approaches for the mass propagation of stevia. In this chapter, the above-mentioned approaches and their significance are emphasized for the large-scale production of identical plant materials and for the improvement of important calorie-free SGs.

In this study, water-in-oil-in-water double emulsions containing saccharose at the outer aqueous phase were formulated and characterised to investigate the potential of double emulsion to enhance the perception of sweetness. We hypothesised that double emulsions containing saccharose at the outer aqueous phase will be detected immediately by taste receptors and evaluated as sweeter than single emulsions containing the same amount of saccharose. Emulsions were prepared with three dispersed phase:continuous phase ratios. The results of the analyses suggested that the phase ratio affected the particle size and rheological behaviour of the emulsions. However, no differences were observed in lipid digestion behaviour. The sensory analysis revealed that the formulation containing double emulsion was sweeter than the formulation containing oil-in-water single emulsion by approximately 75%. Therefore, the development of food products with reduced sugar content may be possible using double emulsions with enhanced sweetness. Industrial relevance Excessive sugar consumption is an unhealthy diet associated with an increased risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, obesity, diabetes, chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and cognitive decline. Therefore, one of the responsibilities of the food industry is to reduce the sugar content of foods. Many food companies have significantly reduced the sugar levels of many products with the policies they have carried out and continue to do so. However, products produced with industrial solutions (especially using artificial sweeteners) to reduce sugar create sensory dissatisfaction in the consumers. Also, the body reacts to artificial sweeteners differently than it does to sugar. The double emulsion technology offers the opportunity to the food industry to reduce the sugar content of foods without causing any sensory loss in food and without the need for the use of an artificial sweetener.

A poor diet is one of the leading causes for non-communicable diseases. Due to the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity, there is a strong focus on dietary overconsumption and energy restriction. Many strategies focus on improving energy balance to achieve successful weight loss. One of the strategies to lower energy intake is refraining from sugars and replacing them with artificial sweeteners, which maintain the palatability without ingesting calories. Nevertheless, the safety and health benefits of artificial sweeteners consumption remain a topic of debate within the scientific community and society at large. Notably, artificial sweeteners are metabolized differently from each other due to their different properties. Therefore, the difference in metabolic fate of artificial sweeteners may underlie conflicting findings that have been reported related to their effects on body weight control, glucose homeostasis, and underlying biological mechanisms. Thus, extrapolation of the metabolic effects of a single artificial sweetener to all artificial sweeteners is not appropriate. Although many rodent studies have assessed the metabolic effects of artificial sweeteners, long-term studies in humans are scarce. The majority of clinical studies performed thus far report no significant effects or beneficial effects of artificial sweeteners on body weight and glycemic control, but it should be emphasized that the study duration of most studies was limited. Clearly, further well-controlled, long-term human studies investigating the effects of different artificial sweeteners and their impact on gut microbiota, body weight regulation and glucose homeostasis, as well as the underlying mechanisms, are warranted.

High consumption of free sugars, particularly through soft drinks, represents a health concern on a global scale. Therefore, several measures, including taxation, were tentatively employed to reduce their intake. However, the decrease of sugars in soft drinks has been occurring mostly at the expense of adding non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS). This study aimed to investigate the recent trends in soft drink reformulations by the food industries and to verify if these modifications can potentially lead to other health implications. For this purpose, the most consumed soft drinks in Portugal (N = 68) were purchased in local supermarkets in 2019 and their free sugar and NNS content were determined by liquid chromatography. The results were further compared with analytical data from 2008. For sugar drinks in 2019 (N = 10), 39% of the samples had a total sugar content near 5 g.L−1 and only a small fraction (15%) was above the upper bound limit of taxation (80 g.L−1). The profile and amount of sugars were distinct between groups with “colas” and “juice drinks” showing the highest variability between brands, being mostly represented by fructose and glucose. Non-nutritive sweeteners were present in most samples (85%), often in mixtures and very dependent on the type of drink. Nevertheless, the main NNS were cyclamate, aspartame and acesulfame K, with the former approaching the recommended daily dose for younger children consuming two cans per day. Over the last decade, sugar content has been reducing, especially in “Juice drinks”, together with a reduction of aspartame in these food products, balanced by an increase in cyclamate, sucralose and steviol glycosides. Unfortunately, the reformulations did not follow any attempt to reduce sweet taste intensity, which could gradually constitute a long-term educational measure. The research leading to these results received financial support from FEDER (Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização - COMPETE 2020), and from FCT/MCTES through projects POCI-01-0145-FEDER-031949 and UID/QUI/info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDB/50006/2020/PT.