saccharins

Saccharin is an artificial sweetener, approximately 300 to 400 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar). It was the first commercially successful artificial sweetener, discovered in 1879 by Constantin Fahlberg while working in the laboratory of Ira Remsen at Johns Hopkins University. Its chemical name is 1,2-benzothiazol-3(2H)-one 1,1-dioxide. Saccharin is typically sold as its sodium salt or calcium salt to improve solubility and stability.

The sweetener is used in a variety of products, including diet beverages, chewing gum, toothpaste, pharmaceuticals, and as a tabletop sweetener. It has a distinct, sometimes slightly bitter or metallic aftertaste, which can be noticeable at high concentrations. Saccharin is not metabolized by the body and is excreted unchanged, making it calorie-free.

Concerns arose in the 1970s when studies in rats linked high doses of saccharin to bladder cancer. This led to warning labels on saccharin-containing products in the United States. However, subsequent research, including epidemiological studies in humans, failed to establish a causal link. In 2000, saccharin was delisted from the U.S. National Toxicology Program's Report on Carcinogens, and warning labels were removed. Regulatory bodies worldwide, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), consider saccharin safe for consumption within established acceptable daily intake levels.