Question: What Is the Sweetest Compound?
Answer: Here's a comparison of sweetness using a ranking system in which sucrose (table sugar) is defined as having a sweetness of '1'. Values lower than '1' indicate the compound is not as sweet as table sugar, while values greater than '1' mean the compound is sweeter than table sugar:
- D-Glucose (natural sugar produced by plants) - 0.46
- Lactose (natural sugar found in milk) - 0.68
- D-Fructose (a natural fruit sugar) - 0.84
- Sucrose - 1
- Cyclamate (usually sodium or calcium salts of cyclohexanesulfamic acid) - 30
- Aspartame (Nutrasweet, Equal) - 200
- Saccharin (benzosulfamide) - 300
- Sucralose (Splenda, a sucrose molecule in which three of the -OH groups have been replaced by chlorine atoms) - 650
- Alitame (Aclame, a sweetener formed from the amino acids L-aspartic acid and D-alanine) - 2,000
- Thaumatin (natural protein isolated from the katemfe fruit of western Africa) - 3,000
- Carrelame (guanidine sweetener) - 160,000
- Bernardame (guanidine sweetener) - 200,000
- Sucrononate (guanidine sweetener) - 200,000
- Lugduname (guanidine sweetener) - 220,000
