Ingredients
Cyclamate
Enhances Flavor and Prevents Tooth Decay
Cyclamate is a non-caloric sweetener approximately 30 times as sweet as sugar used as a tabletop sweetener in diet beverages and in other low-calorie foods and chewing gum. In addition, cyclamate is useful as a flavor enhancer. Like other low-calorie sweeteners, cyclamate can be used as a tool for weight management, diabetes, or to help prevent tooth decay.
Benefits of Cyclamate
Heat Stable
It remains stable under heat and across a range of process steps, making it useful in beverages, baked goods, tabletop sweeteners, dairy products, and pharmaceuticals.
Supports Sugar Reduction Goals
Cyclamate can help consumers reduce added sugar intake while maintaining sweetness and palatability in products.
Diabetes Management
Because it does not significantly affect blood glucose levels, cyclamate may help support blood sugar management when used in place of sugar.
Improves Taste Profiles in Sweetener Blends
Cyclamate is often used alongside other sweeteners because it helps create a more sugar-like taste and can reduce bitter or metallic aftertastes associated with some high-intensity sweeteners.
Prevents Tooth Decay
Cyclamate does not feed the bacteria in the mouth that contribute to dental caries or tooth decay. Replacing sugar with non-cariogenic sweeteners like cyclamate can reduce acid formation associated with tooth enamel erosion.
Facts About Cyclamate
Origin
Cyclamate was discovered in 1937 at the University of Illinois when a scientist accidentally tasted it and noticed its sweet taste.
Safety
Major international regulatory and scientific authorities support the safety of cyclamate within approved intake levels, including the , Health Canada and Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives.
Multiple studies demonstrate that even after ingestion of high doses of cyclamate throughout the lives of laboratory animals, cyclamate does not cause cancer.
A review of evidence, comprising an unusually comprehensive group of mutagenicity tests and incorporating at least ten different testing methodologies, demonstrates that cyclamate is not mutagenic.
Numerous studies of human populations have found no excessive cancer risk even with subjects who consumed cyclamate for a number of years.
The World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization’s Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) has consistently determined cyclamate use is safe.
Regulatory Status
Cyclamate is approved as a sweetener in over 130 countries where regulatory agencies have assessed scientific evidence and concluded cyclamate’s safety for various uses
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) confirms that cyclamates remain approved in the EU and are currently undergoing an updated re-evaluation process as part of EFSA’s broader food additive review program. EFSA continues to maintain the current Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of 7 mg/kg body weight/day while reviewing newer data.
Health Canada Assessment of Sodium Cyclamate and Cyclohexylamine
In a recent government assessment, Health Canada concluded that sodium cyclamate “is not harmful to human health at levels of exposure considered in the assessment.” The review included developmental and reproductive toxicity data, exposure estimates, and risk characterization.
A petition for cyclamate reapproval is currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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