FDA Approves Sunett Sweetener; Pepsi Launches New Diet Cola
Yesterday the FDA approved the use of the calorie-free sweetener Sunett (acesulfame potassium, or Ace-K) in liquid beverages. The approval had been awaited by the industry for years. The sweetening ingredient, made by the Hoechst subsidiary, Nutrinova, is about 200 times sweeter than table sugar and has no lingering aftertaste. Besides being calorie-free and sodium-free, Ace-K is also very stable. Beverages and other food products containing the sweetener sustain their sweetness over longer periods of time, increasing their sweetness shelf life.
U.S. consumers were first introduced to Ace-K in 1988 when it received FDA approval for use in tabletop sweeteners, chewing gum and dry-base beverages, dessert and dairy product mixes. Since then, the FDA has approved its use as an ingredient in seven other food categories and can now be found in baked goods, confections, hard and soft candies, breath mints, throat lozenges, refrigerated and frozen desserts, syrups, sweet sauces, toppings, dry coffee creamers and whiteners, and alcoholic beverages.
Since the development of Ace-K in 1967, nearly 90 scientific studies have demonstrated its safety. It has been recognized as safe by the World Health Organization and numerous other regulatory agencies around the world, and has been widely used in Europe since 1983.
On the heels of Sunett's FDA-approval, Pepsi-Cola Company said it will launch Pepsi One, the first ready-to-drink beverage in the US containing the new sweetener.
Pepsi One, which will be rolled out this fall, will be sweetened with a blend of Sunett and aspartame and will coexist with Diet Pepsi, which like most other domestic diet sodas uses only aspartame.
Sunett is the second new sweetener for diet colas this year. The FDA in April approved sucralose, the only artificial sweetener made from sugar.
For more information contact: Nutrinova Inc., a member of the Hoechst Group, 25 Worlds Fair Drive, Somerset, NJ 08873. Tel: 732-271-7222; Fax: 732-271-7235.