FDA approves new artificial sweetener

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Apr 2, 1998

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Promising new competition for the world's best- selling artificial sweetener, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new no-calorie brand Wednesday that tastes like sugar but is 600 times sweeter.

Johnson & Johnson's sucralose is the only artificial sweetener made from sugar. Scientists changed sugar's molecules to make the sweetness more intense but not allow it to be absorbed. Unlike other sweeteners, it passes straight through the body.

"It's almost magical in the way that it works," said Les Goldsmith of McNeil Specialty Products, the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary that manufactures sucralose. "The enzymes in your digestive system do not recognize the molecule as a sugar." Sucralose can be used in almost every kind of processed food, from soft drinks and ice cream to baked goods, jellies and the tabletop sugar bowl, the FDA decided after reviewing 110 studies in animals and people to verify the sweetener's safety. Sucralose, called a high-intensity sweetener, also is safe for diabetics, the FDA said. There's not much difference in how food makers will use sucralose vs. the leading artificial sweetener, Monsanto's NutraSweet, said George Pauli, FDA's director of product policy. Both are approved for the same foods. Sucralose is slightly more stable, making it somewhat easier to use in high-temperature cooking and giving it a little longer shelf life, he said. "It's very competitive with other sweeteners," he said. "Companies are always sensitive to cost, so (sucralose) allows more cost competition." Long-term studies of extremely high doses found no evidence of side effects, despite careful checks for birth defects, cancer or immune system problems, Pauli said. There are two other high-intensity sweeteners. But saccharin's use has been limited because of controversy over whether it could be a carcinogen, and acesulfame-K has not been approved for use in such a wide range of foods. Goldsmith said some sucralose-containing products should hit store shelves later this year.