Ingredient · Sweetener
Sucralose
An artificial sweetener made by chlorinating sucrose, around 600 times sweeter than sugar. Heat-stable, so unlike aspartame it survives baking, and it passes through the body largely unabsorbed.
also known as E955
Sucralose starts as ordinary sugar; three hydroxyl groups are replaced with chlorine atoms, which is what makes it intensely sweet and largely indigestible.
Most of it leaves the body unchanged, which is the basis for its approval. The open questions concern the fraction that does not — specifically its effect on gut bacteria, and what happens when it is heated to high temperatures during baking.
Why it’s classified this way
Classified High risk on emerging gut-microbiome evidence and on its role as a marker of ultra-processed formulation.
References
- EFSA opinion on sucralose (E955)