Equal (sweetener)
Encyclopedia
Equal is a brand of artificial sweetener containing aspartame
, dextrose and maltodextrin
. It is marketed as a tabletop sweetener by Merisant
, a global corporation which also owns the well-known NutraSweet
brand and which has headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, Switzerland
, Mexico
, and Australia
. In French Canada
, Equal is known as "Égal".
an counterpart, Canderel
, were the first aspartame-based sweeteners to be sold to the public. Up to that point, there was only one artificial table sweetener available, which was saccharin
.
individual-serve sachets or packets, and as a dissolving tablet for use in beverages such as tea and coffee.
(1.7%), acesulfame potassium
(1.2%), starch
, silicon dioxide
(an anti-caking agent), maltodextrin
, and unspecified flavouring. . Equal tablets may also contain lactose
.
Despite ongoing controversy as to whether aspartame is safe or harmful, aspartame-based products have gained regulatory approvals permitting sale in more than 100 countries. Merisant's NutraSweet company states that aspartame is now used in more than 5,000 products and consumed by some 250 million people worldwide. These include The Coca-Cola Company
and Pepsico
.
In 2006-2007, Merisant and McNeil Nutritionals
were involved in a protracted legal battle over marketing for Splenda
. (Main article: Sucralose
.) On January 9, 2009, Merisant filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Aspartame
Aspartame is an artificial, non-saccharide sweetener used as a sugar substitute in some foods and beverages. In the European Union, it is codified as E951. Aspartame is a methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide. It was first sold under the brand name NutraSweet; since 2009 it...
, dextrose and maltodextrin
Maltodextrin
Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide that is used as a food additive. It is produced from starch by partial hydrolysis and is usually found as a creamy-white hygroscopic spraydried powder. Maltodextrin is easily digestible, being absorbed as rapidly as glucose, and might be either moderately sweet or...
. It is marketed as a tabletop sweetener by Merisant
Merisant
Merisant Company is a United States manufacturer of artificial sweeteners, including Equal and Canderel.The company was formed from Monsanto Company's tabletop sweetener business, which was acquired by a group of investors in 2000....
, a global corporation which also owns the well-known NutraSweet
NutraSweet
The NutraSweet Company makes and sells NutraSweet, their trademarked brand name for the artificial sweetener aspartame, and Neotame.Aspartame was accidentally discovered in 1965 by James M. Schlatter, a chemist with a master's degree working under Dr. Kurt Rorig, PhD, in charge of new drug research...
brand and which has headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. In French Canada
French Canada
French Canada, also known as "Lower Canada", is a term to distinguish the French Canadian population of Canada from English Canada.-Definition:...
, Equal is known as "Égal".
History
In the early 1980s, Equal and its EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an counterpart, Canderel
Canderel
Canderel is a brand of artificial sweetener made mainly from aspartame. Canderel is marketed by The Merisant Company, a global corporation with headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, also Switzerland, Mexico, and Australia....
, were the first aspartame-based sweeteners to be sold to the public. Up to that point, there was only one artificial table sweetener available, which was 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...
.
Products
Equal is sold variously as a bottled powder ("Equal Spoonful"), in blueBlue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
individual-serve sachets or packets, and as a dissolving tablet for use in beverages such as tea and coffee.
Contents
An Equal sachet contains dextrose, aspartameAspartame
Aspartame is an artificial, non-saccharide sweetener used as a sugar substitute in some foods and beverages. In the European Union, it is codified as E951. Aspartame is a methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide. It was first sold under the brand name NutraSweet; since 2009 it...
(1.7%), acesulfame potassium
Acesulfame potassium
Acesulfame potassium is a calorie-free artificial sweetener, also known as Acesulfame K or Ace K , and marketed under the trade names Sunett and Sweet One. In the European Union, it is known under the E number E950...
(1.2%), starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
, silicon dioxide
Silicon dioxide
The chemical compound silicon dioxide, also known as silica , is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula '. It has been known for its hardness since antiquity...
(an anti-caking agent), maltodextrin
Maltodextrin
Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide that is used as a food additive. It is produced from starch by partial hydrolysis and is usually found as a creamy-white hygroscopic spraydried powder. Maltodextrin is easily digestible, being absorbed as rapidly as glucose, and might be either moderately sweet or...
, and unspecified flavouring. . Equal tablets may also contain lactose
Lactose
Lactose is a disaccharide sugar that is found most notably in milk and is formed from galactose and glucose. Lactose makes up around 2~8% of milk , although the amount varies among species and individuals. It is extracted from sweet or sour whey. The name comes from or , the Latin word for milk,...
.
Despite ongoing controversy as to whether aspartame is safe or harmful, aspartame-based products have gained regulatory approvals permitting sale in more than 100 countries. Merisant's NutraSweet company states that aspartame is now used in more than 5,000 products and consumed by some 250 million people worldwide. These include The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia...
and Pepsico
PepsiCo
PepsiCo Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Purchase, New York, United States, with interests in the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of grain-based snack foods, beverages, and other products. PepsiCo was formed in 1965 with the merger of the Pepsi-Cola Company...
.
In 2006-2007, Merisant and McNeil Nutritionals
McNeil Nutritionals
McNeil Nutritionals, LLC is a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, and sells a range of products including Viactiv and the branded sucralose sweetener Splenda....
were involved in a protracted legal battle over marketing for Splenda
Splenda
Splenda is the commercial name and registered trade mark of a sucralose-based artificial sweetener derived from sugar, owned by the British company Tate & Lyle. Sucralose was discovered by Tate & Lyle and researchers at Queen Elizabeth College, University of London, in 1976...
. (Main article: Sucralose
Sucralose
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener. The majority of ingested sucralose is not broken down by the body and therefore it is non-caloric. In the European Union, it is also known under the E number E955. Sucralose is approximately 600 times as sweet as sucrose , twice as sweet as saccharin, and 3.3...
.) On January 9, 2009, Merisant filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Aspartame-containing products made by NutraSweet / Merisant
- CanderelCanderelCanderel is a brand of artificial sweetener made mainly from aspartame. Canderel is marketed by The Merisant Company, a global corporation with headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, also Switzerland, Mexico, and Australia....
- sold in most of AsiaAsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Europe, the Middle East and AfricaEurope, the Middle East and AfricaEurope, the Middle East and Africa, usually abbreviated to EMEA, is a regional designation used for government, marketing and business purposes...
, and MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It is the leading aspartame-based sweetener in FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(where it was launched in 1979) and the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(since 1983). - Equal - first sold in the United States in 1982; also sold in New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Malaysia Thailand, Australia, South Africa and IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. - EqualSweet - sold in Argentina.
- NutraSweetNutraSweetThe NutraSweet Company makes and sells NutraSweet, their trademarked brand name for the artificial sweetener aspartame, and Neotame.Aspartame was accidentally discovered in 1965 by James M. Schlatter, a chemist with a master's degree working under Dr. Kurt Rorig, PhD, in charge of new drug research...
- used as an ingredient in many processed foods, drinks and tablets, in 1997 it also began to be marketed as a table sweetener in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
See also
- Acesulfame potassiumAcesulfame potassiumAcesulfame potassium is a calorie-free artificial sweetener, also known as Acesulfame K or Ace K , and marketed under the trade names Sunett and Sweet One. In the European Union, it is known under the E number E950...
(also referred to as "Ace-K" on the "Club Equal" website)http://www.clubequal.com/faq.php#1 - AspartameAspartameAspartame is an artificial, non-saccharide sweetener used as a sugar substitute in some foods and beverages. In the European Union, it is codified as E951. Aspartame is a methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide. It was first sold under the brand name NutraSweet; since 2009 it...
- Aspartame controversyAspartame controversyThe artificial sweetener aspartame has been the subject of several controversies since its initial approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1974...
- Sugar substituteSugar substituteA 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....
External links
- EQUAL official web site
- Club Equal (official website)