subject: The Hidden Chemicals In Splenda® by:Dr. Janet Starr Hull, PhD., CN [print this page] People may think Johnson & Johnsons Splenda, made from sucralose, has
"come to the rescue" as the newest chemical sugar replacement "made from
real sugar." People dont want to hear that it may be just as dangerous as
aspartame, and this "white knight" of sweeteners is no improvement.
Splenda (sucralose) is created in the lab, using a complex process
involving dozens of chemicals you and I can barely pronounce - let alone
consume. To illustrate the alarming "chemical soup" required to create
sucralose, I have listed here the actual process for producing this
sweetener. I highlighted the chemicals in bold type for emphasis.
According to the Splenda International Patent A23L001-236 and PEP Review
#90-1-4 (July 1991), sucralose is synthesized by this five-step process:
1. sucrose is tritylated with trityl chloride in the presence of
dimethylformamide and 4-methylmorpholine and the tritylated sucrose is then
acetylated with acetic anhydride,
2. the resulting TRISPA (6,1',6'-tri-O-trityl-penta-O-acetylsucrose) is
chlorinated with hydrogen chloride in the presence of toluene,
3. the resulting 4-PAS (sucrose 2,3,4,3',4'-pentaacetate) is heated in
the presence of methyl isobutyl ketone and acetic acid,
4. the resulting 6-PAS (sucrose 2,3,6,3',4'-pentaacetate) is chlorinated
with thionyl chloride in the presence of toluene and benzyltriethylammonium
chloride, and
5. the resulting TOSPA (sucralose pentaacetate) is treated with methanol
(wood alcohol, a poison) in the presence of sodium methoxide to produce
sucralose.
The Splenda marketers stress that sucralose is "made from sugar but is
derived from this sugar through a process that selectively substitutes three
atoms of chlorine for three hydrogen-oxygen groups on the sucrose molecule."
While this is true, it is a deceptively simple description, implying that
sucralose is just a benign sugar with a touch of chlorine, and thereby, safe
for consumption.
So sucralose becomes a "low-calorie" sugar with a complicated process
that results in Splendas chemical formula: 1,6-dichloro-1,
