Your Questions Answered about sugar substitute Cyclamate

What is cyclamate?
Cyclamate is a non-caloric sweetener discovered in 1937. It is approximately 30 times sweeter than table sugar and has been used as an low calorite sweetener widely in low-calorie foods and beverages.

How was cyclamate discovered?
Cyclamate was synthesized in 1937 by a University of Illinois (United States) student by the name of Michael Sveda, who accidentally discovered its sweet taste. The patent for cyclamate was first purchased by Dupont and then later sold to Abbott Laboratories. Abbott performed the necessary studies and submitted a New Drug Application for cyclamate in 1950. Abbott's reported interest in those days was to use the product to mask the bitter taste of an antibiotic and a pentobarbital elixir. Cyclamate was initially marketed as tablets that were recommended for use as a tabletop sweetener for diabetics and others who had to restrict their intake of sugar.

What types of products contain cyclamate?
Cyclamates have been widely used as a tabletop sweetener, in sugar-free beverages and other low-calorie foods, particularly in combination with other low calorie sweeteners. Products containing cyclamate include jellies, baked goods, soft drinks, chocolate, candies, breakfast cereals, salad dressing and toothpaste.

How many calories does cyclamate have?
Cyclamate is not metabolized for energy in the body so it has no calories.

What are the benefits of cyclamate?
Cyclamate is highly soluble in water and is heat stable, which means it can be used in cooking and baking as a sugar substitute and is ideal for most food formulations, including diabetic foods. It has a long shelf life and can also be used in thermal treatment such as pasteurization.

Does cyclamate help with weight management?
With no calorie content, cyclamate is a helpful alternative for people trying to reduce their sugar or calorie intake. Many diet or light products including soft drinks, candies, dairy and baked goods are sweetened with cyclamate.

Why is cyclamate often used in combination with other sweeteners?
Because of its unique synergistic sweetening properties, cyclamate is an excellent complement to other low-calorie sweeteners including saccharin, aspartame, sucralose and acesulfame K. Recent research indicates that cyclamate binds to the sweetener taste receptor at a different site than other low-calorie sweeteners, enhancing the sweetness of the other sweetener(s) thus explaining the synergistic effect of many sweetener blends. This means that when cyclamate is combined with another sweetener, they enhance each other so that the result is sweeter than the sum of the individual sweeteners. The end result is a great tasting low-calorie, sugar-free product.

Can people with diabetes consume cyclamate?
Yes. Cyclamate allows individuals managing diabetes to satisfy their taste for sweets without affecting blood sugar. The variety of diabetic foods sweetened with cyclamate gives them the ability to follow a healthy meal plan.

Is cyclamate safe?
Scientists across the globe have recognized Sodium and Calcium Cyclamate as safe and useful. Over the past 50 years, organizations including the World Health Organization's Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Union Scientific Committee for Food (SCF) have examined and studied cyclamate. Cyclamate is now approved for use in more than 100 countries including Europe, Canada, and Australia.

Why isn't cyclamate approved for use in the U.S.?
The FDA banned cyclamate in 1970 after a high-dose rat study linked it to bladder cancer. Subsequent studies failed to verify that link and in 1984, after reviewing the extensive research on cyclamate, the FDA's Cancer Assessment Committee concluded that cyclamate is not carcinogenic. A petition for cyclamate's reapproval in the U.S. has been submitted to the FDA. The petition features new scientific evidence that demonstrates the safety of cyclamate for human consumption.

 

Beverages with low calorie sweetener Cyclamate, alternativefor reducing sugar or calorie intake Cyclamate: approved for use in 100 countries.


Benefits of low calorie diet, using sugar substitute such as Cyclamate