Acesulfame Potassium (Acesulfame K)

Discovered in 1967, acesulfame potassium (also called acesulfame K or ace-K) is a no-calorie sweetener approximately 200 times sweeter than table sugar (sucrose). It has a clean, quickly perceptible sweet taste and excellent stability under high temperatures and good solubility.

Acesulfame K provides a synergistic sweetening effect when combined with other low- and no-calorie sweeteners such as sucralose and aspartame. Using blends of low- and no-calorie sweeteners not only helps give foods and beverages a more sugar-like taste, but also reduces the total amount of sweetener needed.

Products with acesulfame K can be found in about 90 different countries. It is used in thousands of foods and beverages, including tabletop sweeteners (under the brand names Sunette®, Sweet One®, Swiss Sweet®), desserts, puddings, baked goods, soft drinks, candies and canned foods. It is also used in oral hygiene and pharmaceutical products.

Safety

Acesulfame K is safe for use by all populations including children, and women who are pregnant or lactating. It has been used in Europe since 1983 and in the U.S. since 1988. In the United States, acesulfame K was granted approval for use as a general purpose sweetener in December 2003.

Numerous scientific and regulatory bodies throughout the world, including the FDA, the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), and the Scientific Committee on Food of the European Commission (SCF), have reviewed the available research on acesulfame K and concluded that it is safe for use in foods and beverages. More than 90 studies have confirmed the safety of acesulfame K. Acesulfame K is permitted in more than 100 countries around the world, including the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Belgium, Italy, South Africa, France, Japan, Germany, and Switzerland.

Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI)

The ADI for acesulfame K is 15 mg/kg body weight per day for children and adults. This means that a 150 pound person can safely consume about 25 12-fluid ounce cans of diet soft drinks sweetened with a typical blend of acesulfame K and aspartame, or 20 tabletop sweetener packets nearly every day over his or her lifetime without any adverse health effect. The typical amount of acesulfame K in a 12 fl ounce beverage using an acesulfame K-aspartame blend is 40 mg; the average amount per sweetener packet is 50 mg.

Metabolism

Acesulfame Potassium is not metabolized by the body. It is excreted unchanged.

Benefits

  • 200 times sweeter than sugar.
  • Clean, sweet taste with a fast onset and no lingering aftertaste.
  • Has a synergistic sweetening effect when combined with caloric and non-caloric sweeteners (more sugar-like sweetness profile than single sweeteners).
  • Shortens lingering sweetness of sucralose and aspartame and enhances and intensifies other flavors.
  • Not metabolized by the body but is excreted unchanged.
  • Rapid solubility, heat stable. Can be used in cooking and baking.
  • pH stable, long shelf life.
  • Sodium-free and safe for the general population.
  • Like all low- and no-calorie sweeteners, is suitable for diabetics and does not promote tooth decay.

For more information, see the Sweet Facts About Acesulfame Potassium website
http://www.acesulfamek.org/