Acesulfame potassium

Template:Chembox Acesulfame potassium (Template:IPAc-en,<ref name="auto">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> or Template:IPAc-en<ref name="auto"/>), also known as acesulfame K or Ace K, is a synthetic calorie-free sugar substitute (artificial sweetener) often marketed under the trade names Sunett and Sweet One. In the European Union, it is known under the E number (additive code) E950.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was discovered accidentally in 1967 by German chemist Karl Clauss at Hoechst AG (now Nutrinova).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Acesulfame potassium is the potassium salt of 6-methyl-1,2,3-oxathiazine-4(3H)-one 2,2-dioxide. It is a white crystalline powder with molecular formula Template:Chem and a molecular weight of 201.24 g/mol.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Properties

Acesulfame K is 200 times sweeter than sucrose (common sugar), as sweet as aspartame, about two-thirds as sweet as saccharin, and one-third as sweet as sucralose. Like saccharin, it has a slightly bitter aftertaste, especially at high concentrations. Kraft Foods patented the use of sodium ferulate to mask acesulfame's aftertaste.<ref>United States Patent 5,336,513 (expired in 2006)</ref> Acesulfame K is often blended with other sweeteners (usually sucralose or aspartame). These blends are reputed to give a more sucrose-like taste whereby each sweetener masks the other's aftertaste, or exhibits a synergistic effect by which the blend is sweeter than its components.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Acesulfame potassium has a smaller particle size than sucrose, allowing for its mixtures with other sweeteners to be more uniform.<ref>Mullarney, M.; Hancock, B.; Carlson, G.; Ladipo, D.; Langdon, B. "The powder flow and compact mechanical properties of sucrose and three high-intensity sweeteners used in chewable tablets". Int. J. Pharm. 2003, 257, 227–236.</ref>

Unlike aspartame, acesulfame K is stable under heat, even under moderately acidic or basic conditions, allowing it to be used as a food additive in baking, or in products that require a long shelf life. Although acesulfame potassium has a stable shelf life, it can eventually degrade to acetoacetamide, which is toxic in high doses.<ref>Findikli, Z.; Zeynep, F.; Sifa, T. Determination of the effects of some artificial sweeteners on human peripheral lymphocytes using the comet assay. Journal of toxicology and environmental health sciences 2014, 6, 147–153.</ref> In carbonated drinks, it is almost always used in conjunction with another sweetener, such as aspartame or sucralose. It is also used as a sweetener in protein shakes and pharmaceutical products,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> especially chewable and liquid medications, where it can make the active ingredients more palatable. The acceptable daily intake of acesulfame potassium is listed as 15 mg/kg/day.<ref name="Whitehouse, C. 2008">Whitehouse, C.; Boullata, J.; McCauley, L. "The potential toxicity of artificial sweeteners". AAOHN J. 2008, 56, 251–259, quiz 260.</ref>

Acesulfame potassium is widely used in the human diet and excreted by the kidneys. It thus has been used by researchers as a marker to estimate to what degree swimming pools are contaminated by urine.<ref name="npr2017">Template:Cite news</ref>

Other names for acesulfame K are potassium acesulfamate, potassium salt of 6-methyl-1,2,3-oxothiazin-4(3H)-one-2,3-dioxide, and potassium 6-methyl-1,2,3-oxathiazine-4(3H)-one-3-ate-2,2-dioxide.

Effect on body weight

Acesulfame potassium provides a sweet taste with no caloric value. There is no high-quality evidence that using acesulfame potassium as a sweetener affects body weight or body mass index (BMI).<ref name="Miller2014">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=Az2017>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Rogers2015">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Discovery

Acesulfame potassium was developed after the accidental discovery of a similar compound (5,6-dimethyl-1,2,3-oxathiazin-4(3H)-one 2,2-dioxide) in 1967 by Karl Clauss and Harald Jensen at Hoechst AG.<ref name="isbn0-8247-0437-1">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="isbn0-442-00272-6">Template:Cite book</ref> After accidentally dipping his fingers into the chemicals with which he was working, Clauss licked them to pick up a piece of paper.<ref name="isbn0-8160-5277-8">Template:Cite book</ref> Clauss is the inventor listed on a United States patent issued in 1975 to the assignee Hoechst Aktiengesellschaft for one process of manufacturing acesulfame potassium.<ref>Template:Cite patent</ref> Subsequent research showed a number of compounds with the same basic ring structure had different levels of sweetness. 6-methyl-1,2,3-oxathiazine-4(3H)-one 2,2-dioxide had particularly favourable taste characteristics and was relatively easy to synthesize, so it was singled out for further research, and received its generic name (acesulfame-K) from the World Health Organization in 1978.<ref name="isbn0-8247-0437-1" /> Acesulfame potassium first received approval for table top use in the United States in 1988.<ref name="Whitehouse, C. 2008"/>

Safety

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its general use as a safe food additive in 1988,<ref name="Kroger_2006">Template:Cite journal</ref> and maintains that safety assessment, as of 2023.<ref name="fda5-23">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In a 2000 scientific review, the European Food Safety Authority determined that acesulfame K is safe in typical consumption amounts, and does not increase the risk of diseases.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Other sources

• Template:Cite book

External links

• Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives evaluation monograph of Acesulfame Potassium Template:Webarchive
• FDA approval of Acesulfame Potassium
• FDA approval of Acesulfame Potassium as a General Purpose Sweetener in Food
• Elmhurst College, Illinois Virtual ChemBook Acesulfame K
• Discovery News Sweeteners Linger in Groundwater