Sugar or Sweeteners?

Sugar-free beverages have shifted from specialty products to the mainstream over the past two decades. More and more people are choosing the sugar-free option, and this brings up recurring questions: why does sugar-free taste different from the sugared version, even though both are sweet? Can you even tell the difference? Are sweeteners dangerous? Why is Jaffa Pineapple only sold sugar-free?

Matters of taste can and should be debated. But the answers also involve chemistry and physics.

The Functions of Sugar

Sugar does not just sweeten. It has three functions in a beverage that we rarely stop to consider.

First, sugar gives the drink “body.” When around ten grams of sugar per deciliter dissolve in the liquid, as in most traditional sodas, the viscosity or “thickness” of the liquid increases. In the mouth, this is perceived as fullness, which carries the flavor longer.

Second, sugar releases sweetness evenly. The sweetness rises quickly, stays at its peak for a moment, and then descends smoothly. This sweetness arc is learned, and we have become accustomed to it since childhood.

Third, sugar balances acidity. Lemonade is typically quite acidic, and sugar softens that tartness so that the end result feels appropriate rather than harsh. Citric acid and sugar are a classic pairing for precisely this reason.

A Brief Overview of Sweeteners

Sweeteners are broadly divided into two groups.

Intense sweeteners (sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame-K, stevia) are many times sweeter than sugar. Only a very small amount is needed in a beverage, because for example sucralose is approximately 600 times sweeter than regular sugar.

Sugar alcohols (erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol) are closer to sugar in sweetness and are used less frequently in beverages. The required amount is larger, and in large doses they can affect the stomach.

In practice, all beverage manufacturers choose their sweeteners from among the intense sweeteners.

Why Sugar-Free Tastes Different

The difference from the sugared version is not because sugar-free is less sweet. It can be just as sweet. The difference is in the form of the sweetness.

Time curve. Sugar leaves the tongue evenly. Many intense sweeteners, on the other hand, remain on the tongue slightly longer than sugar. Sucralose is closer to sugar in this respect than, for example, acesulfame-K or stevia, but it still does not have exactly the same profile.

Off-flavors. Some sweeteners bring a slight off-flavor that can be perceived as bitter, metallic, or “chemical.” This is a well-known phenomenon especially with stevia, which is why stevia-based beverages are generally either loved or hated. Sucralose and aspartame remain calmer on this measure, and their taste is generally considered closest to sugar’s taste in professional taste tests.

Mouthfeel. This is the biggest challenge for sugar-free beverages. Because such a small amount of intense sweeteners is needed, the drink easily becomes thinner in the mouth than one sweetened with sugar. Good beverage developers compensate for this with acid-sweetness balance, abundance of ingredients, and layering of flavors.

Why We Chose Sucralose

There are many sweeteners on the market, and the choice is always a compromise. In Soda Dogs beverages, we use sucralose for three reasons.

Flavor profile is closest to sugar. In professional taste tests, sucralose and aspartame consistently rank best when measuring how close a sweetener comes to sugar’s taste. Sucralose has a clear, quickly opening sweetness without heavy off-flavors.

Stable in acidic beverages. Sodas are typically acidic, and not all sweeteners perform equally well there. Sucralose is chemically stable in both heat and across a wide pH range, so the beverage tastes the same in the bottle on both the first and last day of the best-before date. Not all sweeteners behave this way.

No calories and no blood sugar effect. Sucralose passes through the body largely unabsorbed. It does not raise blood sugar and brings no calories, which is one reason it is also commonly used in products suitable for diabetics.

In the interest of honesty, it should be noted that sucralose also has its own compromises. Some drinkers notice a very brief sweet aftertaste, and the individuality of taste receptors is a larger factor than many think. Nevertheless, we have concluded that overall it produces the purest and most sugar-like taste.

What About Health?

Two questions almost always arise around this topic: is sugar harmful, and are sweeteners dangerous?

Sugar and teeth. This is the clearest and least disputed health effect. Oral bacteria convert sugar into acid, which dissolves tooth enamel and increases susceptibility to cavities. Sugar-free beverages do not feed these bacteria in the same way. In the interest of honesty, it should be added that soda is an acidic drink for teeth regardless of sugar content, because carbonic acid and citric acid cause their own separate erosive effect. Sugar-free status removes one of the risks, not both.

Sugar and other health. Sugar provides calories without nutritional content, and abundant daily sugar intake repeatedly raises blood sugar. WHO recommends that added sugar remain below ten percent of daily energy intake. One half-liter sugared soda already covers a significant portion of this amount.

Does aspartame cause cancer? This question is revisited regularly on the internet. The World Health Organization’s cancer research agency IARC classified aspartame as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” (Group 2B) in summer 2023. At the same time, WHO’s food additive committee JECFA maintained aspartame’s acceptable daily intake at 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. In practice, this means that a 70-kilogram adult could drink approximately 9-14 half-liter cans of aspartame-sweetened soda daily to stay below the safety limit. The Group 2B classification indicates that the evidence is not sufficiently convincing for a conclusion in either direction.

Is sucralose a safe sweetener? Sucralose has not been placed in any cancer category in IARC’s lists. It has been studied for a long time, and FDA, EFSA, JECFA, and several other authorities consider it safe for normal use.

How to Get Used to the Taste

If you have drunk sugared beverages your whole life, the sugar-free option will feel different the first time. This does not mean it is inferior. Taste is largely a matter of habit. Many who have switched to regular sugar-free consumption experience the opposite phenomenon after a couple of weeks: the sugared version begins to feel sticky and heavy.

Two practical tips for the transition. Try sugar-free very cold, because cold sharpens sweetness and reduces the perception of off-flavors. Enjoy it with food, not as a thirst quencher alone, so the taste becomes part of a larger whole.

Summary

Sugar and sweeteners are not better or worse than each other. They are different substances with their own strengths and weaknesses. A sugared beverage brings fullness and the familiar sweetness arc. A sugar-free beverage brings lightness and zero calories without having to give up the pleasure of sweetness.

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Sources

• World Health Organization WHO: Aspartame hazard and risk assessment results released (2023)
• IARC: Summary of findings of the evaluation of aspartame (2023)
• United States Food and Drug Administration FDA: Aspartame and Other Sweeteners in Food
• United States National Cancer Institute NCI: Artificial Sweeteners and Cancer
• Scientific comparative study on sweetener flavor profiles: Temporal sweetness and side tastes profiles of 16 sweeteners (PubMed)
• Scientific review on sucralose safety: Critical review of the current literature on the safety of sucralose (ScienceDirect)

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