Saccharin: an artificial sweetener

Saccharin is an artificial sweetener with zero food energy and no calories. This is the earliest and one of the oldest sugar substitutes used for about a century in processed food and beverages industries. Saccharin has been approved by FDA for use in more than 100 countries.

Developed in 1878, saccharin is a coal tar derivative that is approximately 200-700 times sweeter than sucrose. Compared with sucrose, saccharin has a slow onset of sweetness that increases to a maximum and then persists. The major drawback of saccharin is its bitter metallic aftertaste, which is particularly evident at higher concentrations.

Saccharin is used in various food products tabletop sweeteners, and in few desserts. In hygiene oral products this sweetener hides the taste of undesirable flavor of other ingredients. The form used as an artificial sweetener is sodium salt and calcium salt, especially by people restricting their dietary sodium intake.

In starter feed for livestock, saccharin is used to avoid reduced feed intake after weaning. Saccharin brand names include Sweet and Low®, Sweet Twin®, Sweet'N Low®, and Necta Sweet®.
Saccharin: an artificial sweetener