CEH Report

Table of Contents

Abstract

The main high-intensity sweeteners discussed in this report include saccharin, cyclamate, aspartame, acesulfame K, sucralose, stevioside, glycyrrhizin, alitame and neotame.

Beverages account for the majority of world high-intensity sweetener consumption, followed by food, tabletop sweeteners, personal care products and pharmaceuticals.

The following pie chart shows world consumption of high-intensity sweeteners:

Cyclamate is the largest high-intensity sweetener produced worldwide in terms of actual volume; due to its lower intensity, it only accounts for 10% in terms of sucrose sweetness equivalent volume. Saccharin is the second-highest-produced high-intensity sweetener in terms of actual volume; however, it accounts for nearly 36% of worldwide sucrose sweetness equivalent volume since it is 300 times as sweet as sucrose. Saccharin and cyclamate are the lowest-cost high-intensity sweeteners available, and therefore enjoy wide use in nearly all markets, especially developing regions such as Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. The notable exceptions for cyclamate are the United States and Japan, where its consumption is banned.

Asia accounts for most world consumption of both cyclamate and saccharin, largely because of their low cost. Although diet beverages and food are becoming more popular for health reasons, large volumes of cyclamate and saccharin are used to replace sucrose in many Asian countries and other developing regions. North America accounted for nearly 48% and 67%, respectively, of world aspartame and sucralose consumption in 2009; the United States is the largest market for aspartame, acesulfame K and sucralose.

Aspartame and acesulfame K are used for most low-calorie beverages as well as in various other applications in developed countries, such as the United States, Western Europe and Japan, and the growth rate to 2014 is estimated to be relatively lower in these countries. A higher growth rate is estimated for semideveloped countries such as Mexico, some countries in Central and South America, Asia, and Eastern Europe, as living standards improve in these regions. Cyclamate and saccharin continue to be the major high-intensity sweeteners in developing countries.