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Sodium Cyclamate (E952): What You Dhould Know About The Sweetener

Sodium cyclamate is one of the most popular sweeteners. Find out here what properties sodium cyclamate has and whether the substance is harmless.

Sodium cyclamate is a common ingredient in sugar-free or reduced-sugar foods and beverages. The chemical name of the substance, which was first synthesized in 1937, is cyclohexylsulfamic acid. Strictly speaking, this does not mean just one substance: the name designates both the basic form cyclamate and its salts calcium and sodium cyclamate. “Cyclamate” is often simply spoken of, although what is actually meant is sodium cyclamate.

The most important properties of sodium cyclamate:
35 times as sweet as sugar (however, the sweetening power increases in combination with the sweetener saccharin, for example)
“zero calorie”: The body cannot metabolize sodium cyclamate
Unlike sugar, it does not cause tooth decay
has hardly any aftertaste compared to other sweeteners, intensifies fruit aromas
Resistant to heat and cold, suitable for cooking and baking

Foods containing sodium cyclamate

You can find sodium cyclamate in numerous sugar-free or reduced-sugar foods:
Sweets
soft drinks
spreads and jams
fruit preserves
dietary supplements
You can also buy sodium cyclamate as a sweetener, for example in tablet form. The sweetener can also be found in medicines and cosmetics.

According to a 2014 EU directive, the product’s list of ingredients includes either the name of the sweetener (“sodium cyclamate”) or its E number E 952. On the front, however, manufacturers only have to indicate that the product contains sweeteners.

Sodium cyclamate: health assessment and exposure limits

According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has been assessing in the EU since 2003 whether an additive is harmful to health. Previously, the Scientific Committee on Food (SFC) was responsible.

In 2000, the SFC specified the maximum amount of sodium cyclamate one should consume per day. According to the BfR, this so-called ADI (“acceptable daily intake”) is seven milligrams per kilogram of body weight.

Based on this, according to “additives online”, there are these limit values ​​for food:
a maximum of 250 milligrams per liter or per kilogram in drinks and desserts
maximum 500 to 1000 milligrams per kilogram in spreads and fruit preserves
Especially with soft drinks, children can reach or exceed the ADI. However, the value is so low that it should be harmless to occasionally take in too much sodium cyclamate.

Conclusion on sodium cyclamate

Sodium cyclamate is considered harmless within the limit values ​​- but its effects in the body are not yet sufficiently understood. It remains to be seen what EFSA’s reassessment reveals. If you would generally like to eat less sweets, you should still avoid sodium cyclamate: You are more likely to lose your desire for sweets if you use naturally sweet fruits and vegetables.

Important to know: Children who do not yet weigh that much quickly reach their daily maximum with drinks containing sodium cyclamate.

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Food

Sodium Citrate (E331): What You Need to Know About The Additive

Sodium citrates occur in the human body’s carbohydrate metabolism. However, sodium citrate is also used as an additive in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. Find out more about the substances here

What exactly is sodium citrate and where is it found?

Sodium citrates are salts of citric acid (E 330), which means they can also be produced industrially from citric acid. According to the additives database, the industry sometimes also uses genetically modified organisms.

A basic distinction is made between mono-sodium citrate, disodium citrate and tri-sodium citrate, each of which has different acid effects. Sodium citrates act in particular as a regulator for gelling processes with pectin.

In its natural form, citric acid is involved in important metabolic processes in the human body. As an intermediate product of the energy metabolism (citric acid cycle), it is a component of every living cell.

Carbon dioxide/bicarbonate, which is involved in metabolism.
Sodium, which shifts the pH value of urine into the alkaline range and thereby balances out excess acid in the gastrointestinal tract.

What foods contain sodium citrate?

Sodium citrates are approved for food as an additive. A maximum amount is not stipulated. However, only as much may be used as is absolutely necessary for the desired effect. You can find sodium citrate in:
sliced ​​packaged vegetables, fruit and peeled potatoes
fruit and vegetable preserves
jams, marmalades and jellies
condensed and dried milk
confectionery and desserts
meat products.

What can you use sodium citrate for medicinally?

counteract heartburn and relieve esophagitis in the event of excess acidity in the stomach and small intestine
soften the stool in case of constipation
alkalize the urine and treat elevated blood uric acid concentrations in gout
Dissolve uric acid stones in the kidney and bladder, which also form with gout
prevent the formation of new kidney stones such as calcium stones.
In addition, the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries also use sodium citrate. Incidentally, sodium citrate is also added to blood samples as a 3.8 percent solution to inhibit blood clotting in the tubes.

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Food

Sodium Alginate (E 401): What You Need to Know About The Gelling Agent

Sodium alginate (E 401) is a common food additive. It serves as a gelling agent or as a coating agent to ensure that the food does not dry out. Sodium alginate limits apply to certain products.

Sodium alginate can be found on the ingredient lists of many foods under the E number E 401. The substance is often only declared as alginate. These are the salts of alginic acid (E 400). Sodium alginate and alginic acid are both components of the cell walls of red and brown algae. In order to obtain sodium alginate from red and brown algae, the algae must be dried, ground and then treated with an alkaline lye. So sodium alginate is not a real natural product, even if it is of plant origin.

Sodium alginate: additive with many properties

Sodium alginate is popular in the food industry:
The substance is easily soluble in water.
When calcium ions are added, alginate forms a gel that is stable in boiling, freezing and baking. Both the color and the consistency of the food are preserved.
As a coating agent, sodium alginate gives food stability. This way they stay in shape even after freezing and thawing.
Alginate makes sauces creamier and desserts creamier.
Fat and water mix more easily after adding sodium alginate.
The Additives Approval Ordinance (ZZulV) and an EU regulation regulate which products have maximum values. Most products allow manufacturers to use unlimited amounts of sodium alginate. Certain limits apply to these products:
Infant and young child food: 1 g/l
packaged, refrigerated, unprocessed and ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables: 2.4 g/kg
Desserts and puddings: 0.5 g/l
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has not yet specified a recommended maximum daily intake (ADI) for sodium alginate. According to the BZfE, organic products may also contain sodium alginate.

Use of sodium alginate

Sodium alginate (E 401) is often found in the following products:
desserts,
jam, jellies, marmalade,
Canned goods,
custard powder,
soups,
salad dressings and mayonnaise,
Bakery products,
frozen products,
Cream,
Cut cheese,
Ice,
Light and diet products.

How healthy is sodium alginate?

In the additives database of the consumer initiative, sodium alginate is classified as “harmless”. However, Codecheck points out that excessive consumption can be problematic. The background is that alginates can prevent the absorption of many substances in the intestine – for example iron and calcium.

There is a lot of research related to diet products. Scientists have discovered that sodium alginate can reduce appetite and insulin levels. However, the effect is not very lasting: the calorie intake when eating two hours later was just as high.

Conclusion: Sodium alginate is a common additive found in frozen and light foods, among other things. It is considered harmless, but you should still not eat it in large quantities. Since it is not absolutely necessary for groceries, you can usually find an alternative in the supermarket without sodium alginate.

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Sodium Nitrite (E 250): Use, Effect and Risks of The Preservative

Sodium nitrite is found in various foods in artificial and natural forms. You can find out in this article whether the preservative is harmful to health.

What is sodium nitrite?

Sodium nitrite is the sodium salt of nitrous acid, also known as hydrogen nitrite. Manufacturers usually use artificially produced sodium nitrite to preserve meat and sausages.

Sodium nitrite is an essential component of pickling salt. In addition, it gives meat products a more intense color and the typical “cured flavor”. The sodium salt itself is crystalline and colorless to slightly yellowish. You can find it under the number E250 in the list of food additives. It occurs in particularly high amounts in cured meat, duck or foie gras and sausages.

Sodium nitrite also occurs naturally in some nitrate-containing vegetables, as the nitrate present converts to nitrite under certain conditions. Vegetables with a particularly high nitrate content are, for example:
spinach
lettuce
Kohlrabi
radish
beetroot
On the one hand, the absorbed nitrate can be converted into nitrite in the body by bacteria in the mouth and stomach. With incorrect storage and poor hygiene, however, the conversion can also take place in the food itself.

How dangerous is sodium nitrite?

Sodium nitrite is a health concern. On the one hand, this is due to the fact that in excessive amounts it can impair or even completely prevent oxygen transport in the blood. This usually cannot happen in adults: they have an enzyme that prevents the effects of sodium nitrite on the blood.

In infants, however, this enzyme is not yet sufficiently developed. Therefore, if they consume too much nitrite, in the worst case this can lead to death by asphyxiation. Children who suffer from a gastrointestinal infection or other digestive problems should also avoid nitrite. In a damaged digestive tract, there is a greater risk that nitrate will be converted into nitrite.

When sodium nitrite is heated, as is the case when frying cured meat, for example, so-called nitrosamines are also formed. These have turned out to be carcinogenic in animal experiments. The extent to which these results can be transferred to humans has not yet been scientifically clarified.

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Food

Sodium Acetate: This is What E 262 Causes in Food

Sodium acetate acts as an acidity regulator and preservative in various foods. The additive is considered harmless. We’ll show you where it usually occurs.

On many toast ingredient lists you’ll find this entry: “Acidity regulators: sodium acetates.” Behind this are the sodium salts of acetic acid. Strictly speaking, there is sodium acetate and sodium diacetate, but sodium acetate is often spoken of in general.

Sodium acetates have various effects in food:
The additives reduce the sour taste in acidic foods.
In addition, the pH value (i.e. the degree of acidity) of food and medicines can be controlled and stabilized via sodium acetate. Hence the name “acidity regulator”.
Sodium acetates preserve baked goods. They could theoretically also be listed as preservatives.
Sodium acetates can be produced from acetic acid by simple chemical reactions. At room temperature they form a white crystalline powder that is readily soluble in water.

Sodium acetates in food

Accordingly, sodium acetate (E 262) is permitted in almost all foods without restrictions. Unrestricted means here: Manufacturers can use as much as they need for the desired effect. In Latin it means “quantum satis”. There are only a few exceptions, such as organic food. These must not contain sodium acetate.

You can find sodium acetate in these foods:
canned vegetables
canned fish
Mozzarella and whey cheese (e.g. ricotta)
Baked goods (e.g. toast or white bread)
Baby food

Are sodium acetates harmful?

As reported by the consumer initiative, sodium acetate is considered harmless. There is no recommended maximum daily intake.

Some experts are fundamentally critical of the approximately 150 additives permitted in baked goods – for example, they can have a negative impact on the intestinal flora. However, it is unclear whether the statement also applies to sodium acetate. However, it is possible that the EU will reassess sodium acetate in the future.

If you want to avoid sodium acetate, go for organic foods. You also avoid other additives and synthetic pesticides, and you also support sustainable agriculture.

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