Artificial sweeteners market currently dominated by Aspartame and Sucralose

The global artificial sweeteners market has been forecast to hit a value of US$1.7 billion by 2018, primarily stimulated by widespread weight reduction efforts, development of low sugar food for diabetic and diet conscious consumers, growing preference for diet beverages, rising concerns over dental caries and the growing need to reduce risk associated with volatility in sugar prices.

A sugar substitute is a food additive that duplicates the effect of sugar in taste, usually with less food energy. Some sugar substitutes are natural and some are synthetic. Those that are not natural are, in general, called artificial sweeteners.

Artificial sweeteners are in huge demand as a result of their low calorie content and similar taste as sugar. Sweeteners with low content of calories do not include fermentable carbohydrates, preventing the creation of acids through oral bacteria that causes dental carries.

The low calorie content allows diabetic patients to enjoy the taste of regular sugar without adding calories to their diet while assisting in weight management to prevent heart diseases and obesity.

The United States dominates the global artificial sweeteners market. In the US, six intensely-sweet sugar substitutes have been approved for use. They are stevia, aspartame, sucralose, neotame, acesulfame potassium, and saccharin. There is some ongoing controversy over whether artificial sweetener usage poses health risks.

The US Food and Drug Administration regulates artificial sweeteners as food additives. Food additives must be approved by the FDA, which publishes a Generally Recognizsd as Safe (GRAS) list of additives.

Aspartame represents the largest artificial sweeteners product segment globally. However, global demand for aspartame is expected to grow below the industry average due to rising safety concerns and competition from sucralose in food and beverage applications. Sucralose holds great promise among artificial sweeteners segments, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 4% through to 2018.

For more information on the artificial sweeteners market, see the latest research: Artificial Sweeteners Market

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