Sodium cyclamate (E952)

Characteristics and use as a sweetener

Sodium cyclamate was first synthesized in 1937 by a doctoral student at the University of Illinois, Michael Sveda, who accidentally discovered its sweet taste. The patent for the production of sodium cyclamate became the property of the Abbott laboratories, which carried out the necessary studies to be able to use it as a safe sweetener. In the 1960s the consumption of cyclamate in the United States skyrocketed, as its use to sweeten "soft drinks" mixed with saccharin became popular. However, its toxicity is still much discussed and some countries, including the USA itself, it has banned its use in food.

Cyclamate is easily obtained from the addition reaction of SO3 (sulphonylation) to cyclohexylamine. This compound was originally manufactured exclusively by Abbott Laboratories, which had acquired ownership. Later, when cyclamate became very common in beverages, other companies entered the market; however, they ceased their production in the 1970s, when sodium cyclamate was banned from the US due to suspected toxicity. Currently, the largest producers are the Chinese; in the United States its use is still banned, but not in most countries. European countries.

Cyclamates derive from the sodium and calcium salts of cyclamic acid. Cyclamic acid, or cyclohexylsulfamic acid, is a white crystalline powder, with a melting point (169-170 ° C), good solubility (1g / 7.5ml) and a sweet-sour taste. It is a strong acid. The pH of a 10% solution is about 0.8-1.6. The salts of sodium (sodium cyclamate) and calcium (calcium cyclamate) derivatives are powerful electrolytes, therefore they are highly ionized in solution. . Both salts exist as crystals or white crystalline powders. They are very soluble in water (1g / 4-5 ml), but not in non-polar oils and solvents. Cyclamates are stable to light, heat and a wide pH range. .

Cyclohexylamine is the compound from which cyclamic acid and its salts derive; it is also the product of their metabolism and has completely distinct properties, some toxic (see below).

Cyclamate, unlike sucrose (immediate, intense, clean sweet taste), has a delayed but very persistent sweet taste; it is considered about 30 times sweeter than sucrose, but its relative sweetening power tends to decrease as the concentration increases. This characteristic can be partly explained by the aftertaste and bitter taste perceived at high concentrations. Calcium salts are considered less sweet than sodium salts, moreover the problems of aftertaste and off-taste are already felt at lower concentrations than sodium salt and acid.

The main use of cyclamate is as a non-caloric sweetener, generally in combination with other sweeteners, but it can also be used as a flavoring agent (to mask the taste of drugs). In countries where its use is permitted, it is used as a sweetener in powder or tablet form or in liquid form, in drinks and fruit juices, in fruit-based products, in chewing gum and candies (it is acaryogenic), in codimenti, jellies, jams and garnishes.
The use of sodium cyclamate is allowed in 50 countries, including Italy, albeit with some limitations. The ADI varies from country to country and is around 0-11 mg / kg of body weight. Weight in mg is relative with cyclamic acid.

Cyclamate is usually used in a mixture with other sweeteners and in particular with saccharin. In this blend the off-taste is non-existent and the sweetening power is significantly enhanced: at least 10-20% synergistic effect has been observed when saccharin and sodium cyclamate are used together. For example, 5 mg of saccharin and 50 mg of cyclamate mixed together are as sweet as 125mg cyclamate alone or 12.5mg saccharin alone. Usually, the ratio used in these cyclamate / saccharin blends is 10: 1 as with this combination each component contributes equally to the sweetening power (as saccharin is about 10 times sweeter than cyclamate.) Some more recent applications see sodium cyclamate together with "aspartame or" acesulfame K or in ternary combination with saccharin and aspartame.

Sodium cyclamate has a number of technical qualities that make it suitable for use as an alternative sweetener. It is not caloric and it is not cariogenic. Although its sweetening power is lower than saccharin and aspartame, it is suitable for use as a sweetener, especially in combination with other sweeteners. At normal concentrations the taste profile is favorable and enhances the fruit aromas; it is compatible with many foods, ingredients, natural and artificial flavors, other sweeteners, chemical preservatives. The solubility in water is excellent, also the stability at high and low temperatures, at various pH and in the presence of light and oxygen. It is not hygroscopic and does not support the growth of fungi and bacteria.

Safety of use and side effects

Sodium cyclamate is slowly and incompletely absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. In a study involving about 200 subjects the absorption of cyclamate was on average 37%. Once absorbed, sodium cyclamate does not concentrate in the tissues and is excreted in the urine unmetabolized; additional studies have shown that in some subjects, including man, sodium cyclamate can be metabolized into cyclohexylamine, even if in very variable percentages from subject to subject, in the same individual at different times, in various countries of the world, etc.
Sodium cyclamate is not metabolized by tissues, but cyclohexylamine is formed by the effect of the microflora on sodium cyclamate not absorbed along the intestinal tract. Cyclamate has long been studied for its presumed carcinogenicity in the bladder of rats. The problem is similar to that of saccharin and in fact the studies have been conducted mainly in relation to the association of the two sweeteners. There are still many slopes regarding its toxicity, but no real direct evidence. In the USA the use of sodium cyclamate it is still prohibited. The metabolite cyclohexylamine is considerably more toxic and it is precisely this toxicity that limits the use of cyclamate as a sweetener; many studies are still in progress, but the two major areas in which toxicity problems can be seen concern cardiovascular effects and testicular atrophy. .

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