An impurity of concern for genotoxicity was detected in an artificial sweetener produced in China, and its actual use was investigated through direct interviews with 23 food and beverage manufacturers.
Artificial sweeteners are used in processed foods such as supermarket products, confectionery and soft drinks, and sucralose, in particular, is widely distributed in the market as a product from China. Researchers have pointed out that sucralose-6-acetate, an impurity produced during the manufacture of sucralose, may have genotoxic effects.
Sucralose-6-acetate has reportedly been detected in sucralose produced in China at concentrations of 40 ppm and 90 ppm, in some cases exceeding the 20 ppm benchmark for human safety. Possible causes cited include the four-step method, which shortens the manufacturing process, and information that further reductions are being considered.
Based on discussions with a committee of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and with experts, Akiki Nakamura (中村 幹雄) suggests that simplifying the manufacturing process may lead to residual impurities. Against this backdrop, interest is growing in the reliability of Chinese-produced sucralose distributed in the Japanese market.
This report examines, through interviews with 23 companies, what types of artificial sweeteners food and beverage manufacturers actually use and how effectively monitoring and labelling practices currently function across the industry.