2. PureVia is a blend of several different ingredients. It contains dextrose, cellulose powder, natural flavors as well as the stevia extract rebaudioside A.[2]
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined in December 2008 that rebaudioside A is safe for inclusion as a food additive.[3]
However, there has not been a substantial amount of an independent scientific research done on the safety of rebaudioside A that was not funded by the companies that produce and distribute products that include them.[4]
3. Splenda usually contains 95% dextrose (D-glucose) and maltodextrin which the body readily metabolizes, combined with a small amount of mostly indigestible sucralose. Sucralose is made by replacing three select hydrogen-oxygen groups on sucrose (table sugar) molecules with three chlorine atoms. The tightly bound chlorine atoms create a molecular structure that is remarkably stable.[15]Sucralose itself is recognized as safe to ingest as a diabetic sugar substitute,[16][17] but some Splenda products may contain sugars or other carbohydrates that should be evaluated individually. Research as of 2003 suggested that the amount of sucralose that can be consumed on a daily basis over a person's lifetime without any adverse effects is 15 mg/kg/day,[18] or about 1 g for a 70 kg (150 lb) person. This was revised downward in 2008 to 9 mg/kg/day, or about 0.6 g.[19]
A repeated dose study of sucralose in human subjects concluded that "there is no indication that adverse effects on human health would occur from frequent or long-term exposure to sucralose at the maximum anticipated levels of intake".[20] Conversely, a Duke University study conducted on rats (funded by The Sugar Association[21]) shows that at sucralose consumption levels of 1.1 mg/kg (below the FDA 'safe' level) to 11 mg/kg, throughout a 12-week administration of Splenda exerted numerous adverse effects, including reduction in beneficial fecal microflora, increased fecal pH, and enhanced expression levels of P-gp, CYP3A4, and CYP2D1, which are known to limit the bioavailability of nutrients and orally administered drugs.[22] These effects have not been observed in humans,[20] and the relevance of this animal study to human health is unknown. The study has been the subject of some controversy, with experts disagreeing over the validity of its conclusions.[23] The other ingredients in Splenda, dextrose and maltodextrin, are listed as generally recognized as safe because of their long history of safe consumption.[24][25]
4. Equal is a brand of artificial sweetener containing aspartame, dextrose and maltodextrin. It is marketed as a tabletop sweetener by Merisant, a global corporation which also used to own the well-known NutraSweet brand when it was a subsidiary of Monsanto and which has headquarters in Chicago, Illinois,Switzerland, Mexico, and Australia. In French Canada, Equal is known as "Égal". An Equal sachet contains dextrose, aspartame (1.7%), acesulfame potassium (1.2%), starch, silicon dioxide (an anti-caking agent), maltodextrin, and unspecified flavouring. [2]. Equal tablets may also contain lactose.
Despite ongoing controversy as to whether aspartame is safe or harmful, aspartame-based products have gained regulatory approvals permitting sale in more than 100 countries. Merisant's NutraSweet company states that aspartame is now used in more than 5,000 products and consumed by some 250 million people worldwide.[3] These include The Coca-Cola Company and Pepsico.
In 2006-2007, Merisant and McNeil Nutritionals were involved in a protracted legal battle over marketing for Splenda. (Main article: Sucralose.) On January 9, 2009, Merisant filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
5.Sweet'n Low (trademarked as Sweet'N Low) is a brand of artificial sweetener from granulated saccharin, dextrose and cream of tartar. Saccharin was first discovered in 1878 by Constantin Fahlberg, a chemist working on coal tar derivatives at the Johns Hopkins University. Although saccharin was commercialized not long after its discovery, it was not until decades later that its use became widespread. Sweet'n Low was first introduced in 1957 by Benjamin Eisenstadt and his son, Marvin Eisenstadt. The elder Eisenstadt had earlier invented the sugar packet, but neglected to patent it, and artificial sweetener packets were an outgrowth of that business. The two were the first to market and distribute the sugar substitute in powdered form. Their distribution company, Cumberland Packing Corporation, still controls the product. The name "Sweet'n Low" itself derives from an 1863 song by Sir Joseph Barnby, which took both its title and lyrics from an Alfred Lord Tennyson poem, entitled "The Princess: Sweet and Low". In Canada, Sweet 'n Low is made from Sodium Cyclamate because Saccharin has not been allowed as a food additive since the 1970s.[1]
Sweet'n Low is U.S. Patent 3,625,711. Their trademark of words "Sweet'n Low" and musical staff is U.S. Trademark registration No. 1,000,000. The Pink Panthercartoon character has been the mascot for the brand since 2001. He appears on the packaging and marketing, and has appeared on the product's television commercials. Sweet'n Low is manufactured and distributed in the United States by Sugar Foods Corporation and in the United Kingdom by Dietary Foods Ltd. Other products by the makers of Sweet'n Low include 'Sugar in the Raw' and 'Stevia in the Raw'.
Sweet'n Low has been licensed to Bernard Food Industries for a line of low-calorie baking mixes.
