Present Status of Sugar-Free Sweetners:A Review

Taste plays an important role in regulating the choice of food, its intake and utilization. In human and other species, the preference for sweet tasting foods is inborn and there is enough historical evidence that people have appreciated sweet tasting substances for thousands of years. In spite of the universal liking for sweets, excess consumption has been proposed as an etiological factor in dental caries, diabetes, and obesity. These facts prompted the scientific community to develop sugar-free or low-calorie sweeteners for replacing sugar. These are lowcost alternatives to sugar. The main objectives of developing sugar-free sweeteners are to reduce the energy intake, prevent tooth decay and provide sweet foods suitable for people with diabetes. Diabetic children are normally considered to constitute a group with a high consumption of sweeteners.