Dulcin
Encyclopedia
Dulcin is an artificial sweetener
about 250 times sweeter than sugar
discovered in 1884 by Joseph Berlinerbau. It was first mass-produced about seven years later. Despite the fact that it was discovered only five years after saccharin
, it never enjoyed the latter compound’s market success. Still, it was an important sweetener of the early 20th century and had an advantage over saccharin in that it did not possess a bitter aftertaste
.
Early medical tests marked the substance as safe for human consumption, and it was considered ideal for diabetics. However, an FDA
study in 1951 raised many questions about its safety resulting in its removal from the market in 1954 after animal testing revealed unspecified carcinogen
ic properties.
Dulcin is also known by the names sucrol and valzin.
Sugar substitute
A sugar substitute is a food additive that duplicates the effect of sugar in taste, usually with less food energy. Some sugar substitutes are natural and some are synthetic. Those that are not natural are, in general, called artificial sweeteners....
about 250 times sweeter than sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
discovered in 1884 by Joseph Berlinerbau. It was first mass-produced about seven years later. Despite the fact that it was discovered only five years after saccharin
Saccharin
Saccharin is an artificial sweetener. The basic substance, benzoic sulfilimine, has effectively no food energy and is much sweeter than sucrose, but has a bitter or metallic aftertaste, especially at high concentrations...
, it never enjoyed the latter compound’s market success. Still, it was an important sweetener of the early 20th century and had an advantage over saccharin in that it did not possess a bitter aftertaste
Aftertaste
Aftertaste is the taste intensity of a food or beverage that is perceived immediately after that food or beverage is removed from the mouth. The aftertastes of different foods and beverages can vary by intensity and over time, but the unifying feature of aftertaste is that it is perceived after a...
.
Early medical tests marked the substance as safe for human consumption, and it was considered ideal for diabetics. However, an FDA
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
study in 1951 raised many questions about its safety resulting in its removal from the market in 1954 after animal testing revealed unspecified carcinogen
Carcinogen
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes...
ic properties.
Dulcin is also known by the names sucrol and valzin.
Additional reading
- Hodges, L. 1973. Environmental pollution: a survey emphasizing physical and chemical principles. Holt, Rinehart and Winston Inc., New York.