SPLENDA®

SPLENDA® Low Calorie Sweetener is the brand name of the low calorie sweetening products containing sucralose. Sucralose is a sweetening agent produced from sugar (sucrose) by a patented process. Unlike some other low calorie sweeteners, sucralose provides a great sugar-like taste without the bitter aftertaste, and it is heat stable, so it is suitable for use in cooking and baking. Sucralose is inert in the body (it is not metabolised for energy) and therefore provides no kilojoules or calories. It is available in granular form, which is used spoon for spoon - the same as sugar, and in single serve sachets and in tablet form.

Is sucralose safe?

Yes, sucralose is suitable for all types of individuals, including children and expectant mothers. Sucralose has been the subject of extensive safety testing over more than 20 years in over 100 studies.^1-4 It was first approved for use in 1991 by the Canadian Health Projection Branch of Health and Welfare, and every other agency that has since assessed sucralose has similarly concluded that it is safe for use as a sweetener. Agencies that have approved sucralose include:

FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
European Union Scientific Committee on Food (SCF)
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)

Sucralose was approved in Australia in 1993 and is now approved for use in over 80 countries. Internationally, no regulatory concerns have developed.

Conclusions based on sucralose safety studies

No known side effects.
No toxicity, even at doses hundreds of times the estimated daily intake.
No bioaccumulation.
No carcinogenicity
No neurotoxicity.
No allergenicity.
No effects on fetal or neonatal development.
No effect on short-term or long-term blood glucose control or insulin sensitivity.^5-7

Reference:

Sucralose Food Additive Petition 7A3987. February 9, 1987;8-69:2041-20453, on file: Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), US Food and Drug Administration.
Sucralose Food Additive Petition 7A3987. February 9, 1987;1-3:202-890, on file: Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), US Food and Drug Administration.
Sucralose Safety Assessment. Food Chem Toxicol 2000;38(Suppl 2):S1-S129.
Sucralose Food Additive Petition 7A3987. Studies E168, E169, E171. Submitted 1987. On file: Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition(CFSAN), US Food and Drug Administration.
Mezitis NH, et al. Glycemic effect of a single high oral dose of the novel sweetener sucralose in patients with diabetes. Diabetes Care 1996;19:1004-1005.
Grotz VL, et al. Lack of effect of sucralose on glucose homeostasis in subjects with type 2 diabetes. J Am Diet Assoc 2003;103:1607-1612.
Sucralose Food Additive Petition 7A3987. August 16, 1996;1:1-357, on file: Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), US Food and Drug Administration.

Why add maltodextrin, dextrose and lactose to SPLENDA®?

Sucralose is intensely sweet (about 600 times sweeter than sugar) that replacing one teaspoon of sugar would require only one six-hundredth of a teaspoon of sucralose. You can imagine how difficult it would be to measure this amount of sucralose for a cup of tea or coffee. So to give it necessary bulk, maltodextrin is added to SPLENDA® Granular, maltodextrin plus dextrose to SPLENDA® Sachets, and lactose to SPLENDA® Tablets. These added ingredients are commonly used in foods and other low calorie sweeteners. They add minimal calories and carbohydrates to each serving of SPLENDA®. Maltodextrin is made from cornstarch and contains no wheat products.

What are the advantages of using SPLENDA® Low Calorie Sweeteners?

SPLENDA® sweeteners can be used in place of sugar in virtually all types of foods resulting in lower sugar intake. For the person with restricted sugar intake, this means that foods typically avoided because of high sugar content may now be prepared with SPLENDA® sweeteners and enjoyed. SPLENDA® sweeteners can even be used to replace sugar in baking and cooking without losing its great sugar-like taste. SPLENDA® sweeteners do not have the bitter aftertaste commonly associated with some other low calorie sweeteners.

Because of its excellent heat stability, SPLENDA® sweeteners, unlike some other low calorie sweeteners, can be added to recipes prior to baking, stewing or boiling, just like sugar. SPLENDA® sweeteners retain their sweetness in cooking and baking at high temperatures.

Similarly, beverages sweetened with SPLENDA® retain their sweet sugar-like taste virtually indefinitely, even in hot weather.

What is the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) set for sucralose?

The ADI represents an intake level that if maintained over a person’s lifetime would be considered safe. The ADI set for sucralose by the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives, and accepted by Food Standards Australia New Zealand, is 15 mg/kg of body weight.

Body weight (kg)	SPLENDA® Granular (g)	SPLENDA® Sachets	SPLENDA® Tablets
10	13	15	25
20	25	30	50
30	39	45	75
40	50	60	100
50	63	75	125
60	75	90	150
70	88	105	175
80	100	120	200
90	113	135	225
100	125	150	250
120	150	180	300

How low are the calories in SPLENDA® Low Calorie Sweeteners?

SPLENDA® Granular: 1 teaspoon SPLENDA® Granular has the equivalent sweetness of 1 teaspoon of sugar.
In its granular form, SPLENDA® sweetener has 2 calories or 8 kJ per teaspoon. SPLENDA® Granular has 88% less calories than sugar. There are no calories in sucralose. The calories in SPLENDA® Granular come from the small amount of maltodextrin (a starch like ingredient) in this easy-to-use and convenient product.

SPLENDA® Tablets: 1 SPLENDA® Tablet has the equivalent sweetness to 1 teaspoon of sugar. Each SPLENDA® tablet has 0.2 calories or 0.8 kJ. Each SPLENDA® Tablet has 98% less calories than one teaspoon of sugar. There are no calories in sucralose. The calories in each SPLENDA® Tablet come from the small amount of lactose which is added to give each tablet necessary bulk. SPLENDA® Tablets are small and especially easy-to-use in tea and coffee.

SPLENDA® Sachets: 1 SPLENDA® Sachet has the equivalent sweetness to 2 teaspoons of sugar.
Each SPLENDA® Sachet has 4 calories or 16 kJ. This is 88% less than sugar. There are no calories in sucralose. The calories in SPLENDA® Sachet come from the small amount of maltodextrin and dextrose in this easy- to- use and convenient product.

Commercial products:
When SPLENDA® sweetener is used for sweetening commercial products, it contributes no calories. This is because no other calorie containing ingredients are needed to facilitate its use in commercial settings where very large batches of foods and beverages are made. However, other ingredients in commercially manufactured foods or beverages containing SPLENDA® may contribute calories to the product. Calories from these ingredients must therefore be duly considered when planning meals for a healthy diet.

SPLENDA® Low Calorie Sweetener Energy and Weight Table

SUGAR	TEASPOON	CUP	WEIGHT
SUGAR	70 kilojoules 16 Calories	3,400 kilojoules 812 Calories	1 cup of sugar 200 Grams
SPLENDA® Granular	8 kilojoules 2 Calories	390 kilojoules 93 Calories	1 cup of SPLENDA 25 Grams
1 SPLENDA® SACHET = 16 kilojoules/4 Calories
1 SPLENDA® TABLET = 0.8 kilojoules/0.2 Calories

Can using SPLENDA® Low Calorie Sweetener save calories?

Depending on other ingredients present, significant reductions in sugar content and calories can be obtained by replacing sugar with SPLENDA® sweeteners in foods and beverages made at home.

Each SPLENDA® tablet has a sweetness equivalent to one teaspoon or 4.4g of sugar. For a cup of tea or coffee sweetened with two SPLENDA® tablets instead of two teaspoons of sugar, this means a saving of about 8.8 grams of sugar. If you have 6 cups of tea or coffee a day, this amounts to about 53 grams of sugar and about 215 calories or 900 kilojoules saved per day. Over a year this equates to 78,500 calories or 329,000 kilojoules.

What effect does SPLENDA® Low Calorie Sweetener have on blood sugar levels?

Sucralose has no effect on blood sugar or insulin levels (see Mezitis N, Koch P, Maggio C, Quoddoos A, Pi-Sunyer FX: Glycemic Response to Sucralose, a Novel Sweetener, in Subjects with Diabetes Mellitus. Diabetes 1994;43, S1(5): 261A.). SPLENDA® sweeteners are suitable for people who require blood sugar control. This is because sucralose is not treated by the body as a carbohydrate. Even in large amounts, sucralose has no calories.

The SPLENDA® commercial products used by food and beverage manufacturers as sweeteners have no calorific content. Significant reductions in sugar content and calories can be obtained by replacing sugar with SPLENDA® sweeteners in foods and beverages, depending on other ingredients present. The calories from the other ingredients however must be considered when planning healthy meals.

The granular, sachet and tablet forms of SPLENDA® sweetener contain a small amount of calories from the presence of other ingredients like maltodextrin. With ordinary consumption, the effect of calories from these other ingredients on blood sugar levels would be expected to be negligible. Any effect would be considered the same as that expected for the equivalent sweetness of sugar with the same low amount of calories.

Lactose in SPLENDA® tablets, is it a concern for patients with lactose intolerance?

The amount of lactose consumed in a cup of tea or coffee sweetened with SPLENDA® tablets is quite small: there would be 20 to 60 times more lactose from the milk added to the cup of tea or coffee (depending on the amount of milk) than in the SPLENDA® tablets.

How do we get SPLENDA® recipes?

Visit the recipe tab on this site or visit other SPLENDA® websites. www.splenda.com or www.splenda.co.uk.

What is the Food Additive number for SPLENDA® sweetener ?

SPLENDA® is referred to in the ingredients list as number 955.

SPLENDA® Sweeteners vs. Sugar: Yearly Statistics

Each SPLENDA® Tablet has a sweetness equivalent to one teaspoon (4.4g) of sugar. For a cup of tea or coffee sweetened with two SPLENDA® Tablets instead of two teaspoons of sugar, this means a saving of about 8.8g of sugar. If you have 6 cups of tea or coffee a day, this amounts to about 53g of sugar and about 215 calories or 900 kilojoules per day and 19.34 kilograms of sugar per year. Over a year this equates to 78,500 calories or 329,000 kilojoules!

Is SPLENDA® Low Calorie Sweetener suitable for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding?

Sucralose can be safely used by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Studies specifically examining the potential effects of sucralose on embryo-fetal development showed no birth defects or any other effect that would compromise normal development.

While women typically have higher nutritional needs during pregnancy and breastfeeding, sucralose may help prevent excessive calorie intake during these times. Excessive weight gain during pregnancy is associated with health risks. Replacing sugar with sucralose can be one way to help manage calorie intake during this important time.

What are the differences between sweetening agents?

Sweetening Agents