Context
A recent study found that replacing table sugar with sucralose had no adverse effects on glucose levels.
About Sucralose
- No-Calorie Sweetener used to reduce sugar intake
- While some sweeteners like aspartame are low-calorie, sucralose, along with monk fruit and stevia sweeteners, is a no-calorie option.
- These sweeteners are collectively known as sugar substitutes, high-intensity sweeteners, nonnutritive sweeteners, or low-calorie sweeteners.
- Sucralose is extremely sweet, ~ 600 times sweeter than regular sugar.
- It remains stable under various conditions, ensuring that products sweetened with it retain their sweetness over time.
- Production Process
- Is produced from sucrose (table sugar) through a process where 3 specific hydroxyl groups in the sucrose molecule are replaced with chlorine atoms.
- Excretion:
- The majority of sucralose (about 85%) is not absorbed by the body and is excreted unchanged in the faeces.
- Any absorbed sucralose is quickly excreted in the urine.
- Absorption and Metabolism:
- A small portion (about 15%) is absorbed, but it is not metabolized for energy, meaning sucralose does not provide calories.
Source:
The Hindu
Previous Year Question
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener sold in the market. It consists of amino acids and provides calories like other amino acids. Yet, it is used as a low-calorie sweetening agent in food items. What is the basis of this use?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2011 Prelims]
(a) Aspartame is as sweet as table sugar, but unlike table sugar, it is not readily oxidized in human body due to lack of requisite enzymes.
(b) When aspartame is used in food processing, the sweet taste remains, but it becomes resistant to oxidation.
(c) Aspartame is as sweet as sugar, but after ingestion into the body, it is converted into metabolites that yield no calories.
(d) Aspartame is several times sweeter than table sugar, hence food items made with small quantities of aspartame yield fewer calories on oxidation.
Answer: (d)
