The document discusses various sweeteners that are commonly used in oral medications and their properties. It describes sugars like sucrose, glucose, fructose and polyols like sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol that are used. Artificial sweeteners discussed include saccharin, sodium cyclamate, aspartame, sucralose and acesulfame-K. Each sweetener is described in terms of its sweetening intensity, whether it provides calories, common brand names and other properties.

1. SWEETENERS
• They are mainly found in
oral dosage form and
chewable medications.
• Commonly used
sweeteners- sucrose,
glucose, sorbitol, fructose
and glycerin.
• Sorbitol, glucose,
sucrose, have limited use
in tablets, because of it’s
Hygroscopic nature.

2. POLYOLS
• These are called as sugar
replacers, sugar-free sweeteners,
sugar alcohols/ novel sugars.
• They occur naturally in plants but
also commercially be produced.
• Eg: mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol,
hydrogenated starch(Hydrolysates)
and artificial sugars.
MANNITOL
SORBITOL XYLITOL

3. MANNITOL
• Most commonly used in chewable
tablets, due to it’s less Hygroscopic
nature.
• It produces sweet cooling effect,
because of negative heat of solution.
• It is a polyol.

4. SORBITOL
• Pleasant taste.
• It is a polyol.
• Sweeting intensity- 0.6
• Caloric in nature

5. SUCROSE
• Commonly used as table sugar.
• Sweetening intensity- 1
• These are caloric.
• Standard sugar.

6. FRUCTOSE • It gives rapid onset of sweetness.
• Sweeting intensity- 1.2
• Caloric in nature.

7. D-GLUCOSE
• It is commonly referred as dextrose.
• Obtained from incomplete hydrolysis of
starch.
• It contains- dextrose, dextrin, maltose
and water.
• Extremely viscid substance.
• Sweeting intensity- 0.5-0.9
• Impart sweetness similar as honey.
• Caloric in nature.

8. SACCHARIN
• Widely used.
• It is a substitute of sucrose.
• High conc. bitter In taste,
• Low conc. Sweet in taste.
• Sodium salt of it is more palatable.
• Free of unpleasantness after taste.
• It is carcinogenic in nature, due to
cyclohexylamine formation.
• Sweeting intensity- 500
• BRAND NAME- Sweet’N Low.
• Non-caloric in nature.

9. SODIUM
CYCLAMATE
• It is banned is USA.
• It Is also carcinogenic,
due to cyclohexylamine
metabolite.
• Sweeting intensity- 30

10. ASPARTAME
• Chemical name- N-L-a-Aspartyl-L-
Phenylalanine methyl ester.
• Not having unpleasant aftertaste.
• Hydrolyzed to aspartyl phenylalanine and
diketopiperazine.
• Contraindicated to patients suffering from
phenyl ketone urea.
• Cause angioedema and urticaria.
• Sweeting intensity- 200
• Non caloric in nature.
• Brand name- NutraSweet & Equal.
•

11. SUCRALOSE
• New sweeting agent.
• Heat-stable
• Stable at wide Ph range
• Sweeting intensity- 600
• Brand name- Splenda
• Non caloric in nature.

12. ACESULPHAME-K
• Used in combination with aspartame to enhance sweeting.
• Heat stable.
• Brand name- Sunett and Sweet One.
• Sweeting intensity- 200
• Non caloric in nature.
• Monoammonium glycyrrhizinate, used in liquid oral
preparation.