A new product - a genuine sugar with none of the tooth-rotting, fattening characteristics of the original is expected to get British government approval next month. It will be packed and presented like ordinary granulated sugar and is being aimed at the weight-conscious and diabetics.
The scientists who invented the product, which is called sucralose, have modified the elements of the sugar molecule that make sugar fattening. Through a "super-refining" process, they claim to have also removed the parts of the sugar molecule that diabetics find difficult to digest.
The end product, which is 600 times sweeter than normal sugar, is mixed with starch to make it taste like traditional sugar. "Calories are not needed to make something which is sweet, so we take them out," said a source close to the company last week. This is much more versatile than a normal low-calorie sweetener. The calorie-free sugar will now be able to be added to a cup of tea made with a non-drip tea bag.
The Sunday Times