Sweet but Dangerous

Artificial sweetener is chemical product that may be commonplace now used by Indonesian people today. Especially were used by traders or businessmen who using a lot of sugar in their production. The function of sweetener is a common component of food. Sweeteners that include sweetener sugar (sucrose) substitute. Sweeteners, both natural and synthetic, are compounds that give the perception of sweetness but have little or no nutritional value (Non-Nutritive sweeteners). A compound that can be used as a sweetener, must meet certain criteria, such as soluble and stable in a wide pH range, stable at high temperature range, has a sweet taste and has no side or after-taste, and cheap, at least not exceed the price of sugar. Of course if they use fully natural sugar or sucrose it will be need in very large amount in a once production because of the sweetness of sucrose, not to mention now price of sugar is high enough it will increase financing in a once production. That's why traders and businessmen especially they were engaged in the food industry to reduce the usage of sucrose sugar. Added with artificial sweeteners even replace entirely with artificial sweeteners. There are different types of artificial sweetener that used to replace the function of natural sugar as a sweetener such as aspartame, saccharin, cyclamate and etc. Of course something natural is better isnt? Compared with something that made by synthetically or by manmade. Sometimes the traders and businessmen do not think about the real impact of the usage of artificial sweeteners that they was used in their products, they will tend not to know the negative effects that will result from the usage of artificial sweeteners, especially artificial sweeteners that used in excessive doses or exceed the usage permit. The biggest impact of negative effects from artificial sweeteners of course in consumers. Merchants and entrepreneurs may have nothing to lose here but the consumers who would get huge losses because the product that what are they consume products containing artificial sweeteners. Before we discuss about the negative effects of artificial sweeteners then we have to know first what is an artificial sweetener that used in foods industry.

Artificial sweeteners in foods industry 1. Saccharin

Saccharin is the oldest sweetener, including sweeteners that having a very important role and usually sold in the form of salts of Na or Ca. The sweetness of saccharin is 300 times sweeter than sucrose. Because it had no caloric value, saccharin is very popular used as a sweetener in diet foods, good for diabetics as well as for patients with a low diet. Saccharin has a bitter after-taste at high concentrations. Although the results of tested in experimental animals showed a tendency that the carcinogenic effects of saccharin. Therefore, saccharin is still allowed its use in almost all countries.

a. Saccharin molecule form

b. Example of saccharin product

2. Aspartame
Aspartame or methyl ester of L-aspartil-L-phenylalanine is a new sweetener the usage of aspartame in the 1980s for soft drink products and dry mix (dry mixtures). Aspartame is a sweetener that has a caloric value because it is basically aspartame is a dipeptide. Nevertheless, the level of sweetness (200 times the sweetness of sucrose) only added in very small amounts so the calories are negligible. Aspartame is preferred because it produces sweet that very similar with sugar. Because it is a dipeptide, aspartame easy to hydrolysed, easy to undergoes a chemical reaction common in other food components and may be degraded by microbes. If experencing hydrolysis, aspartame loses its sweetness. The products that was sweetened by aspartame must be labeled clearly, especially about the content of the contain phenylalanine by people with phenylketonuria disorder.

a. Aspartame molecule form

b. Examples of aspartame products

3. Cyclamate
Cyclamate is a non-nutritive sweetener which is not less popular. The level of cyclamate is 30 times sweeter than sugar and cyclamate does not provide after-taste like saccharin. Nevertheless, the sweet taste produced by cyclamate is not very good (smooth) when compared with saccharin. Cyclamate can be sold in the form of Na or Ca salt it. The usage cyclamte was banned in the United States, Canada, and Britain since the 1970's due to degradation products (cyclohexyl amine) are carcinogenic. Nevertheless, the research that underlies the prohibition of the usage of cyclamate has a lot of criticism because cyclamate used at very high and not likely to occur in daily usage. Therefore, the FAO / WHO still enter cyclamate as BTM is allowed.

a. Molecular form of cyclamate After we know some kind of artificial sweetener that used in food industry, then we have to know what are the negative effect that caused by artificial sweeteners.

Impact of artificial sweeteners for health

Artificial sweeteners are generally carcinogenic. Carcinogenic is a material that could encourage/cause cancer. This can happen because of genomic instability or disturbances in cellular metabolic processes. Cancer is a disease where damaged cells in the body of the patient does not have the cell death program, and grow out of control with an aberrant metabolism. Carcinogens may increase the risk of cancer by changing the cellular metabolism or damaging DNA directly in cells that interfere with biological processes and induce uncontrolled cell division and last causing tumor. Normally, cells undergoing DNA changes that are too severe will be directed to enter the cell death program, but if the pathway of cell death program was broken then the cell will turn into cancer cells. Artificial sweeteners when consumed continuously it will trigger the cancer cells and also causes several diseases. Every artificial sweeteners are at risk for causing disease. Aspartame is containing: Phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol. Side effects: Headache, fibromyalgia, anxiety, memory loss, arthritis, abdominal pain, nausea, depression, heart palpitations, irritable bowel syndrome, seizures, neurological disorders, vision problems, brain tumors and body weight. Aspartic acid and phenylalanine had a direct impact on the brain and nervous system. The evidence shows that both play a role in influencing a person's mood disorders, memory problems and other neurological disorders. At high temperatures, phenylalanine would break down into diketopiperazine (TPF) which is a carcinogenic compound. Phenylalanine is very dangerous for people who suffer from hereditary disease phenylketonuria. Research the European Ramazzini Foundation of years ago proved that artificial sweeteners Aspartame triggers cancer and leukemia risk in mice even at doses of aspartame only 20mg/kg BW. Dr. Nurhasan from LKJs team has said that anatomically of mice is similar with humans. What happens to the mice very likely to occur also in human. Therefore the inclusion of a sweetener in the product composition is important, because there are acceptable daily intake (ADI) or limit the number of sweeteners that may be consumed by a person throughout life. Saccharin is containing sulfimide benzoate, this is can be causing nausea, diarrhea, skin problems, or other symptoms associated with allergies. Preliminary studies of safety shown that

of saccharin has caused bladder cancer in rats. The FDA has recently been required labeling for any product containing saccharin to be given a label that saccharin is a carcinogen. And evidence that saccharin causes bladder cancer in humans has been also proven. Saccharin consumption is also prohibited for pregnant women based on research that saccharin consumption during pregnancy will cause a defect in the baby to be born. In November-December 2002 BPOM has shown that consumption of Cyclamate has reached 240 percent of the ADI, while the artificial sweetener Saccharin trigger bladder cancer as much as 12.2 percent of the ADI.
ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS ARE ALLOWED

N Name of Sweetener Usage in Food o 1. Saccharin ( and salt of sodium For the sauce Saccharin) ice-candle light beverage beverage of yogurt have low calorie ice-cream bubble-gum 2. Cyclamate ( and salt of For the sauce sodium calcium and of ice-candle cyclamate) light beverage beverage of yogurt low calorie ice-cream peppermint of have low calorie light beverage bubble-gum ferment have low calorie Aspartame 3. Source: Badan Ketahanan Pangan (BKP) Foods/beverage

Maximum size measure which permitted 300 mg/kg 200 mg/kg 100 mg/kg 50 mg/kg

3 gr/kg 2 gr/kg 1 gr/kg 500 mg/kg

10000 mg/kg

Apparently so many negative impacts that can be caused by the sweetener if consumed in excessive amounts because of that usage artificial sweeteners in food production should be avoided for the safety of all people. If it was forced to use artificial sweeteners then it must follow the rules limit of permitted usage. It would be better if we re-using materials of natural sweetener such as sugar, brown sugar or palm sugar and the other more secure than even artificial sweeteners for diabetics should be avoid excessive consumption of sugar.

Rerefences
Ambarsari, Indrie, Qanytah, Sarjana. Penerapan Standar Penggunaan Pemanis Buatan Pada Produk Pangan. Microsoft Encarta Student 2009. Artificial Sweeteners. Winarno, F.G. 1992. Kimia Pangan Dan Gizi. Gramedia Pustaka Utama: Jakarta.

Appendix Questions
From Rahma Ramadani: 1. Is there any benefit for us from consuming artificial sweeteners? Yes, there is benefit for us of consuming artificial sweeteners. Such in economic side artificial sweeteners is more cheaper than natural sweeteners, so we can get a lot of sweeteners than sugar. In taste side, artificial sweeteners is more sweeter than sugar. So just in little usage of artificial sweeteners we can get more sweet taste than we use sugar. And from healthy side for people with diabetic could consume artificial sweeteners because this is more safety. From Uswatun Hasanah: 2. What is the role of artificial sweeteners in process of metabolism? Artificial sweeteners have no role in metabolism system because just natural sugar thats containing glucose which have a role in metabolism system, so when artificial sweeteners entry to our body its not have any role because artificial sweeteners has no nutritional value and calorie value. From Fachri Rahmat: 3. What is the effect if usage of artificial sweeteners in fast foods was stopped? The effect for company of fast foods thats using artificial sweeteners in their productions if usage of sweeteners stopped that will be causing a major disadvantage because they must replace the sweetener for use their in product with natural sweeteners that have price more expensive than artificial sweeteners, and for consumer if they are change for usage artificial sweeteners in their products that will be causing the price of products can be more expensive than usual.

ESSAY AND SUMMARY ASSIGNMENT ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS

ENGLISH COURSE
Offered for filling final English Course Assignment

By: Dedi Sukmawan Maya Ina Sholaikah Anissa Nurlely 1111096000053 1111096000058 1111096000066

I B Chemistry

UIN SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH JAKARTA

2011/2012