Reprinted from Journal of the Dietetic Asso., v. 98(5), May 1998
May 1998
Human beings are born liking the sensation of sweetness. A number of food ingredients stimulate this sensation by interacting with taste buds in the mouth and throat. the sweetening power of these ingredients varies with the properties of the food system, such as physical state, temperature, and the presence of other flavors. Furthermore, perception of sweet taste can be influenced by genetics, health status, and aging (1) nutritive sweeteners provide a sweet taste and a source of energy; nonutritive sweeteners are sweet without providing energy. The claim that nutritive sweeteners have caused an increase in chronic disease (e.g. obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dental caries, behavioural disorders) is not substantiated (2) but many consumers want the taste of sweetness without added energy. The food industry has responded to this demand by producing a number of energy reduced or nonnutritive sweeteners.
