Natural sweeteners are carbohydrates that are mainly derived from animal or plant products, while artificial sweeteners comprise carbohydrate substrates that replace natural sweeteners in beverages and foods. The most commonly used natural sweeteners are “honey, molasses, maple syrup, coconut sugar, agave nectar, date sugar, and xylitol” (Neacsu and Madar, 2014, 59). Natural sweeteners contain vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Artificial sweeteners are often used in soft drinks, jams, dairy products, and jellies. According to Neacsu and Madar (2014), the most commonly used artificial sweeteners are aspartame, neotame, saccharin, acesulfame, potassium, and sucralose.
There is a difference in the degree of sweetness of various sweeteners. Some sweeteners are more sweet than others. For example, honey is more sweet than all other sweeteners. Honey has a relative sweetness of 1, while aspartame has a relative sweetness that ranges between 150 and 200 (Rao & Ramalakshmi, 2011). As such, the relative sweetness of sweeteners vary. Personally, I have consumed a number of natural and artificial sweeteners. Some of the sweeteners I have consumed include honey, molasses, xylitol, sucralose, and aspartame. The sweetness of these sweeteners varies, with honey being the sweetest followed by xylitol.
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Although artificial sweeteners are sweeter than real sugar, doctors, researchers and other experts recommend limiting their intake. This is because they are associated with a number of health care issues, including diabetes, obesity and cancer. As such, natural sweeteners are more effective than artificial sweeteners. Natural sweeteners contain vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They provide important dietary nutrients which are mostly used to supply energy to the body (Neacsu and Madar, 2014). However, their intake ought to be limited as well.
References
Neacsu, N. A., & Madar, A. (2014). Artificial sweeteners versus natural sweeteners. Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Brasov. Economic Sciences. Series V , 7 (1), 59.
Rao, L. J. M., & Ramalakshmi, K. (Eds.). (2011). Recent trends in soft beverages . CRC Press.
