 Mumbai: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) last week notified the use of additives Acesulfame potassium, also called Acesulfame K, and sucralose or Splenda as a di-blend in carbonated water. This paves the way for their use as substitutes to sugar in carbonated drinks like colas.
The beverage industry, a key consumer of sugar, has been lobbying hard for the use of alternative sweeteners for long. A di-bend means the two additives will be used in combination with each other, helping manufacturers achieve a sweetness level close to sugar. Individually, say food science experts, additives are considered sweeter than sugar. In combination, manufacturers can achieve the 'profile of sugar' far more than when additives are used standalone, they say.
Individually, four additives are permitted in India at the moment. This includes Acesulfame K, Aspartame, Splenda and Saccarine. The recently launched Pepsi Max, for instance, contained sucralose or Splenda only. It is positioned as a sugarless cola brand.
Internationally, the trend today is to use three additives together. This is popularly called tri-blend, which is not permitted in India as yet.
However, not everybody is excited about the FSSAI notification. According to some experts, most of these synthesised chemicals are carcinogenic. There are few studies to establish the safety of Acesulfame K and Splenda though Aspartame has been extensively studied. Incidentally, Stevia, another additive that is awaiting approval from international agencies, is not synthetic. It is herbal in nature extracted from a plant called stavia rebaudiana. Stevia, according to food science experts, is likely to be approved in 2011 by CODEX Alimentarius for use across product forms.
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