Acesulfame K in food

Acesulfame K is freely soluble in water and also in aqueous alcoholic solutions with high water content. It is the generic name for the potassium salt of 6-methyl-1, 2, 3-oxathiazine-4 (3H)-one-2,2 dioxide.

Acesulfame K provides no energy. It was first approved for limited use by FDA in July 1988 and then additionally approved for use in beverages in 1998.

It is a noncariogenic, nonlaxative, intense sweetener used in a wide range of foods, including foods for diabetics. Acesulfame K has approximately 200 times the sweetness of sucrose at the 3% sucrose level. 

Food manufacturers use acesulfame K in chewing gum, powdered beverage mixes, nondairy creamers, gelatins and puddings.

Heat does not affect acesulfame K. So it is stable under heating condition used in the processing of foods. Pasteurization or ultra high temperature (UHT) treatment used for dairy products does not result in any loss of acesulfame K.

Acesulfame K may be used alone or in combination worth other sweetening agents. Combination systems are useful, particularly in products requiring bulking agents for texture or viscosity.

A sorbitol-acesulfame K blend for example is used in baked goods.
Acesulfame K in food