SHEET /vs/aspartame-vs-saccharin · COMPARISON
Aspartame vs Saccharin: what is the difference?
How they differ
from source
Saccharin is the older sweetener by a century, discovered in 1879, and it is the simpler molecule: a small sulfur-containing ring at 183.19 against aspartame's 294.3. Saccharin is also the sweeter of the two, roughly 300 times sugar against 200, and it is the one with the metallic aftertaste that shows up at higher concentrations. Aspartame breaks down with heat and cannot be baked with; saccharin is stable and can. The reported oral LD50 for saccharin is 14200 mg/kg in rats, which is very high, and much of saccharin's reputation traces to a 1970s rat bladder study whose mechanism turned out not to apply to people. Aspartame's constraint is different and specific: it delivers phenylalanine.
Side by side
| Aspartame | Saccharin | |
|---|---|---|
| Formula | C14H18N2O5 | C7H5NO3S |
| Molecular weight | 294.3 g/mol | 183.19 g/mol |
| Family | Sweetener | Sweetener |
| Everyday group | Sweetener | Sweetener |
| Functional groups | Carboxylic Acids, Amines, Aromatics, Esters, Amides | Aromatics, Amides |
| Oral LD50A single acute animal measure. It ranks nothing about human safety. | not recorded | 14,200 mg/kg (oral, rat) |
| Sweetness | 200x sugar | 300x sugar |
| Found in | Tabletop Sweetener, Diet Soda, Sugar Free Gum, Soft drinks | Diet Soda, Tabletop Sweetener |
| CAS number | 22839-47-0 | 81-07-2 |
| PubChem CID | 134601 | 5143 |
Common questions
- What is the difference between Aspartame and Saccharin?
- Saccharin is the older sweetener by a century, discovered in 1879, and it is the simpler molecule: a small sulfur-containing ring at 183.19 against aspartame's 294.3. Saccharin is also the sweeter of the two, roughly 300 times sugar against 200, and it is the one with the metallic aftertaste that shows up at higher concentrations. Aspartame breaks down with heat and cannot be baked with; saccharin is stable and can.
- Is Aspartame bigger than Saccharin?
- Aspartame is the heavier molecule, 294.3 g/mol against 183.19 g/mol for Saccharin. Aspartame is C14H18N2O5 and Saccharin is C7H5NO3S.
- Is Aspartame sweeter than Saccharin?
- Saccharin is the sweeter of the two, about 300 times as sweet as table sugar against about 200 times for Aspartame. Sweetness here is measured against sucrose, which is defined as 1.