Cyclamate
What it does
Intense sweetener.
How it's made
Synthesised sweetener.
Cyclamate is an artificial sweetener around 30–50 times sweeter than sugar — much less intense than aspartame or saccharin — with a clean sweet taste that blends well with other sweeteners to improve their flavour. It is used in tabletop sweeteners and some drinks and foods where permitted; its approval varies between countries.
It is made by chemical synthesis, typically by reacting cyclohexylamine with a sulphur-containing reagent (sulphamic acid or sulphur trioxide) to form cyclamic acid, which is then neutralised with sodium or calcium to give the sweetener salt (sodium or calcium cyclamate).
The salt is purified and crystallised into a white powder. Because it is relatively mildly sweet and heat-stable, it is often combined with saccharin, the pair balancing each other's aftertastes; it is not metabolised for energy and so is calorie-free, passing through the body largely unchanged.
Possible reactions
Banned in some countries (US); permitted at limits elsewhere.