saccharin

Saccharin is a non-nutritive artificial sweetener approximately 300–500 times sweeter than sucrose. It is used to sweeten foods and beverages without adding calories and is commonly found in products such as diet drinks, candies, baked goods, pharmaceuticals (as an excipient), vitamins, toothpaste, and mouthwash[1][2][4]. Saccharin is heat-stable and does not react with other food ingredients. The most common forms are its sodium or calcium salts due to their high water solubility[1]. While primarily used as a sugar substitute for people seeking low-calorie options or those with diabetes (since it does not affect blood glucose), recent research has shown that saccharin can disrupt bacterial cell division and biofilm formation by destabilizing bacterial membranes and interfering with DNA replication—suggesting potential antimicrobial properties[6][8]. Saccharin was once linked to cancer risk in animal studies but has since been deemed safe for human consumption by regulatory authorities such as the FDA[7].

Brand names

Sweet'N LowSweet TwinNecta Sweet

Other names

saccharinesaccharin sodiumsaccharin calcium