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Sweeter than the sweetest

According to the latest reports, sucralose, a new sugar substitute, has won the US Food and Drug Administration's (PDA's) approval as the first artificial sweetener to be used in a wide range of products. Sucralose was approved by the PDA for all practical uses as an artificial sweetener, including sweetening soft-drinks, baked goods and chewing gum, as well as for use as a "table-top" substitute for sugar or other sweeteners. About 600 times sweeter than sugar, Sucralose is the first essentially calorie-free sweetener since Nutrasweet to be approved by the FDA for such a wide range of uses. The FDA said it reviewed more than 110 studies conducted on animals and humans and found no safety concerns what-soever with the product. More ultra-sweet, second-generation version of sugar substitutes like Neotame, about 8,000 times as sweet as sugar, are currently in the pipeline, the FDA has said.