Saccharin

Saccharin is one of the oldest synthetic sweeteners. It was discovered in 1879 by Ira Remsen and Constantin Fahlberg of Johns Hopkins University. Chemically it is an o-sulfobenzoic amide. In the food industry it is known by the initials E954.

Features

Saccharin was synthesized in 1878 from experiments with coal tar derivatives, and has been used as a sweetener since the early 20th century. Currently it is obtained by chemical synthesis of toluene or other petroleum derivatives. Due to the great sweetening power of saccharin, it is usually used in aqueous solution. The most widely used form is the sodium salt, since in the acid form it is very slightly soluble in water. It has a bitter aftertaste, especially when used in high concentrations, but this aftertaste can be masked by other substances. It is a sweetener resistant to heating and acidic media, which is why it is used in the preparation of dietetic products.

Uses

It is used as a non-caloric sweetener, and in medicine when taking sugar is contraindicated. It is used in the production of soft drinks, in sweetened yoghurts and in dietetic products for diabetics.

Doubts about the toxicity of saccharin

In the 1970s, several groups of researchers indicated that high doses of saccharin (5% of the total weight of the diet) were capable of inducing the appearance of bladder cancer in rats.

Saccharin is not mutagenic. Its effect on the bladder of rats is produced by continuous irritation of this organ produced by changes in the overall composition of the urine which, among other effects, lead to changes in pH and the formation of mineral precipitates. The continued attack is responded to by cell proliferation to repair the damage, and in some cases this proliferation gets out of control and leads to the production of tumors. It is interesting to note that the precipitating effect in rat urine is due in large part or in its entirety to the sodium contained in saccharin, since the free form or the calcium salt do not produce this effect.

Saccharin is therefore not carcinogenic by itself, but through its effect as a trigger of a physicochemical attack on the rat bladder, which induces cell proliferation. With concentrations in the diet (actually used by people) where there is absolutely no chance of this bladder insult, the risk is not very small, just zero.

National legislation

The use of saccharin was banned in some countries, including Canada, which finally legalized it in 2014. In the United States, its prohibition was raised in 1977, but the campaigns of the affected companies and some associations, among them those of diabetics, led to a moratorium on the prohibition. The situation of saccharin was therefore unstable in the United States, for a time it was subject to strict labeling regulations with phrases such as: "This product contains saccharin, which has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals" or " Use of this product may be dangerous to your health." But in 2001 the United States administration and the state of California changed their position on saccharin and declared it fit for consumption.