THE SWEETENERS
MARTINDALE’S 24th 1958 (Br.)
Compiled by Ivor Hughes
DEXTROSE and other SWEETENING AGENTS
Dextrose (B.P.). Dextros.; Anhydrous Dextrose; Anhydrous Medicinal Glucose; D-Glucose; Anhydrous Grape Sugar; Glucosum; Glycosum; Saccharum Amylaceum; Glucose Officinal (Fr. P.); Traubenzucker. a-D-Glucopyranose. C6H12O6 = 180-2.
0-45%; dextrose 2-5, 5, 10, and 25%, with sodium chloride 0-9%.
Nutri-Sal (Ortho). A powder containing dextrose 71*19%, potassium chloride 0-66%, sodium chloride 25-63%, and calcium gluconate 2-52%, in vials of 19*9 g. For the preparation of a vaginal douche in the treatment of subfertility. The contents of one vial should be dissolved in 1 pint of warm water.
Foreign Pharmacopoeias: In Chin., Dan., Egyp., bid.. Jap., Mex., Pol., and Swed.
Several pharmacopoeias use the title Glucosum or Glycosum for this material (sec Dextrose).
Uses. Dextrose monohydrate is chiefly used in infant feeding when ready assimilation of carbohydrate is required.
Glucodin (Glaxo). A powder containing dextrose monohydrate 98-6%, with vitamin D 250 units per oz., calcium phosphate and calcium glycerophosphate.
Foreign Pharmacopoeias: In Chin., Egyp., Ind., Nor., Swed., and U.S.
A colourless, or almost colourless, odourless, very viscous syrup with a sweet taste. It consists of a mixture of glucose, maltose, dextrin, and water. Wtperml. about 1-6 g. Miscible with water; partly soluble in alcohol.
Uses. Liquid glucose is sometimes used instead of dextrose for oral administration and it is also used as a pill excipient, either alone or as syrup of liquid glucose. It is not administered by injection.
Foreign Pharmacopeias: In Cz., Dan., Ger., Jap., Jug., Pol., Span., and Swiss.
A white or yellowish amorphous powder or granules with a slight characteristic odour and a sweet taste. It does not reduce Fehling’s solution. Slowly soluble in cold water and readily soluble in boiling water, forming a mucilaginous solution; insoluble in alcohol and ether. Protect from moisture.
Uses. It is an ingredient of some infant foods and is used as an adhesive and stiffening agent for surgical dressings. It has many industrial uses as * binding and thickening agent.
Foreign Pharmacopeias: In all pharmacopoeias examined.
A disaccharide obtained from the whey of milk. It is a white odourless crystalline powder with a slightly sweet taste. Lactose exists in two modifications corresponding to the a and β isomerides. Milk sugar of commerce is chiefly a-lactose (4-O-β-D-galactopyranosyl-a-d-glucopyranose). β-Lactose is also obtainable; it is anhydrous, more soluble than a-lactose, and passes into the a form in solution.
Uses. Lactose is used in infant feeding to adjust the carbohydrate content of diluted cows’ milk to that of human milk, but it should not be used excessively since it is laxative and makes the stools too acid. Lactose is widely used as a diluent to give bulk to powders and as a diluent in compressed tablets which are required to dissolve completely. Sterilised lactose is used as a diluent for antibiotic powders.
The use of sterile gauze dressings dipped in a sterile 12% solution of lactose instead of the usual vaselined gauze packs, in the closed-cast treatment of osteomyelitis and compound fractures, prevents the odour of putrefaction.— A. D. Wallis and M. J. Dilworth, Brit. med. J., i/1941, 750.
Foreign Pharmacopoeias: In Egyp., Ind., and Swiss.
A monosaccharide, containing small quantities of glucose and water, prepared from invert sugar or from honey. It is a white or cream-coloured, odourless, Iaevorotatory, hygroscopic, crystalline powder with a sweet taste. Very soluble in water; less soluble in alcohol (90%); almost insoluble in dehydrated alcohol and ether. Protect from moisture.
Uses. Laevulose is a stronger sweetening agent than sugar and is more easily assimilated. It is especially suitable for diabetics. Since laevulose does not raise the concentration of sugar in the blood, except where there is hepatic derangement, it is employed as a test for liver efficiency.
There appears to be no reason for including the early administration of laevulose in the routine treatment of severe diabetic ketosis. — J. D. N. Nabarro et al., Lancet, ii/1955, 1271.
Purified Honey (B.P.C.). Mel Depuratum; Clarified Honey; Strained Honey; Mel Despumatum; Miel Blanc; Gereinigter Honig.
Foreign Pharmacopoeias: In all pharmacopoeias examined, except Mex.
Purified honey is obtained from the honey in the comb of the hive bee, Apis mellifera and other species of Apis (Apidas). It is prepared by melting the honey, allowing to stand, straining off the scum rising to the surface, and adjusting the wt per ml. to 1’355 to 1’356 g. by adding water. Contains from 70 to 80% of glucose and fructose, together with water, sucrose, dextrin, wax, proteins, volatile oil, and formic acid.
Uses. It is used as a demulcent and sweetening agent, and as a vehicle for the application of borax to the mouth in aphthous conditions. It is also a useful addition to the diet of infants suffering from ceeliac disease.
Dose: 2 to 16 g. (30 to 240 grains); Jug. P. usual single dose 30 g.
The dried saccharine juice exuded from the stems of the European flowering ash, Fraxinus ornus (Oleaceae), usually containing from 40 to 60% of mannitol.
Foreign Pharmacopeias: In Belg., Dan., Fr., Ger., Hung,, Jug., Nor., Span., Swed., and Swiss. Jug. specifies not less than 72-5% of mannitol, Hung, and Nor. not less than 75%.
Flake manna, which is the best variety, occurs as yellowish-white, brittle, stalactitic masses about 10 to 15 cm. long and about 2 to 2-5 cm. wide, with a slight agreeable odour and a sweet taste. Inferior qualities (small or broken manna) consist of agglutinated fragments and are usually darker in colour and more glutinous. Soluble 1 in 5 of water and 1 in 150 of alcohol (90%).
Uses. Manna has mild laxative properties but it sometimes causes flatulence and griping. It has been employed as a laxative for infants and children. A syrup (1 in 10) has been used.
A hexahydric alcohol closely related to the hexose sugars; it is isomeric with sorbitol. It occurs as a white odourless crystalline powder with a sweetish taste. Soluble 1 in 6 of water, 1 in 85 of alcohol, 1 in 18 of glycerin, and 1 in 3 of pyridine; insoluble in ether; soluble in aniline and in solutions of alkali carbonates and hydroxides. Solutions are sterilised by autoclaving or by filtration.
Uses. Mannitol has diuretic properties. It has also been used in the same way as inulin, in a test for renal function (see Vol. II) but as about 10% is reabsorbed by the tubules, the validity of the results is doubtful. The daily diuretic dose is 50 to 100 g. administered intravenously as a 25% solution. It is also used as a diluent and excipient in pharmaceutical preparations.
A hexahydric alcohol closely related to the hexose sugars. It occurs naturally, in small quantities, in apples, cherries, pears, plums, mountain-ash berries, and other fruits, and it is prepared commercially by the catalytic hydrogenation of glucose. It is isomeric with mannitol.
A white odourless crystalline powder with a sweet taste. Very soluble in water and hot alcohol; sparingly soluble in cold alcohol.
Uses. Since it does not produce a rise in blood sugar when taken by mouth, it may be used by diabetics, in a daily dose of 30 to 80 g., in place of sucrose. Soibitol may be used as a substitute for glycerin in pharmaceutical preparations.
Editors Note. propylene glycol ** is extremely toxic and destroys brain cells.
Sorbitol Solution (U.S.N.F.). A clear colourless syrupy liquid with a sweet taste, containing 70% w/v of total solids consisting essentially of D-sorbitol, together with a small amount of mannitol and other isomeric polyhydric alcohols. It contains not less than 64% w/v of D-sorbitol. Wt per ml. about 1 -28 g. It is neutral to litmus. Miscible with water, glycerin, and propylene glycol; slightly soluble in alcohol; almost insoluble in most other organic solvents.
Foreign Pharmacopoeias: In all pharmacopoeias examined.
Colourless odourless crystals, crystalline masses, or white powder, with a sweet taste, obtained from the juice of the sugar cane or of the sugar beet.
Uses. Sucrose is used as a sweetening agent and demulcent. If the sweetness of sucrose is taken as 100, Laevulose has a value of 173, dextrose 74, maltose 32, galactose 32, and lactose 16. Syrups prepared from concentrated solutions of sucrose form the basis of many linctuses. Sucrose is also used as a lozenge basis. An injection of 100 ml. of a 50% solution of sucrose is used by slow intravenous drip in the treatment of cerebral oedema or to decrease intra-ocular tension in glaucoma; there is some danger of kidney damage, especially if the injection is repeated.
Uses. Solutions of invert sugar have been used in the injection treatment of varicose veins, and are stated to have the advantage of not causing cramp or sloughing if accidentally injected outside the vein. 5 to 20 ml. of a 60 to 75 % w/v solution of invert sugar has been given.
A thick, but free-flowing, dark brown liquid, prepared by heating sucrose at 180° to 200°, and diluting to the required standard with water. Wt per ml. 1-37 to 1-41 g.
Uses. Burnt sugar is used as a colouring agent, usually as Solution of Burnt Sugar, 10 m. of which will give a suitable colour to 1 fl. oz. of most liquid preparations.
Caramel of commerce is made from many raw materials, including sucrose, glucose, liquid glucose, molasses, and invert sugar. It is supplied in various qualities and strengths, with different colour intensities, to suit the various commodities in which it is used.
Uses. As maltodextrin is more readily digested than starch, it is used in infants’ foods, and in place of foods containing starch when carbohydrate digestion is impaired. It is used in infant feeding in place of lactose for adjusting the carbohydrate content of diluted cows’ milk to that of human milk.
Dextrin-Maltose (Alien & Hanburys). A starch-free mixture of carbohydrates for the modification of cows’ milk in infant and invalid feeding. Available in two forms: plain, and with sodium chloride 2%.
Foreign Pharmacopoeias: In Belg., Egyp., Fr., Pol., Span., Swiss, and U.S.
White odourless or almost odourless crystals or crystalline powder with an intensely sweet taste. Solutions in water are acid to litmus.
Soluble 1 in 290 of water, 1 in 25 of boiling water, 1 in 12 of acetone, 1 in 30 of alcohol, and 1 in 50 of glycerin; slightly soluble in chloroform and ether; very soluble in dilute solution of ammonia and in solutions of alkali hydroxides and, with the evolution of carbon dioxide, bicarbonates.
Uses. Saccharin is used as a sweetening agent, and as a substitute for sucrose in diabetes, obesity, and generally where the use of sucrose is undesirable. It has no food value. It is commonly employed in the form of saccharin sodium; the average amount required is about 1/20 gr. in each fl. oz. or about 1 in 10,000.
Saccharin is usually considered to have about 550 times the sweetening power of sucrose, but this depends to some extent on the strength of solution used, the relative sweetening power being greatest in dilute solution. Pharmacological, toxicological and clinical investigations have confirmed the fact that saccharin is a completely harmless substitute*** for sugar even when used continuously. 1½ to 3 gr. of saccharin is sufficient to replace the whole of the sugar required by an adult for daily sweetening of food and drink, i.e. 50 to 57 g .— H. Staub and R. Staehelin, Med. Pr., 1936, 193,419.
Experiments in vitro snowed saccharin to have an antiprothrombin effect, but ingestion of saccharin in amounts above those obtaining in ordinary dietary use was found to be without effect on the prothrombin time. There is stated to be no synergism or antagonism between saccharin and dicoumarol.— R. D. Barnard, J. Amer. pharm. Ass., Sci. Edn, 1947, 36, 225.
Editors Note: *** This has been proven to be incorrect.
Saccharin Sodium (B.P.). Saccharin. Sod.; Sodium Benzosulphimide; Soluble Gluside; Soluble Saccharin. C7H4O3NSNa,2H2O = 241-2.
Foreign Pharmacopoeias: In Chil., Chin., Cz., Dan., Egyp., Ger., Hung., Ind., Jap., Jug., Mex., Nor., Span., Swed., Swiss, and U.S.
A white odourless or almost odourless crystalline powder with an intensely sweet taste. Soluble 1 in 1-5 of water and 1 in 50 of alcohol. Solutions are sterilised by autoclaving.
Uses. Saccharin sodium is used for the same purposes as saccharin, usually as tablets or solution. It is also used to determine the arm-to-tongue circulation time in patients with cardiac disease. A solution of 2-5 g. in 4 ml. of warm water is rapidly injected into the median basilic vein of the arm held level with the heart, and the time-lapse between the injection and the first perception of a sweet taste in the mouth is noted. In normal persons this circulation time is 9 to 16 seconds, but in the presence of severe cardiac failure it may exceed 45 seconds.
Tablets of Saccharin (B.P.C.). Tab. Saccharin. Prepared from a mixture of saccharin and sodium bicarbonate or from saccharin sodium. Unless otherwise specified, tablets each containing the equivalent of 1/5 grain of saccharin are supplied.
Saxin (Burroughs Wellcome). Saccharin sodium, available as tablets each equivalent in sweetening power to about 1 teaspoonful of granulated sugar.
A white, almost odourless, crystalline powder with a very sweet taste. Readily soluble in water; almost insoluble in alcohol, benzene, chloroform, and ether. A 10% solution in water has a pH of 5 ‘5 to 7-5.
Uses. It is used in place of sodium cyclamate when sodium intake must be restricted.
Uses, Sodium cyclamate is a sweetening agent used as a substitute for sucrose by diabetics and patients on a restricted carbohydrate diet. It should not be given to patients with renal damage, or those on a low salt diet. It is about 30 times as sweet as sucrose. It is stable in hot solutions, and is free from bitter after-taste in concentrations below 0-8%. An excessive intake may produce a laxative effect and this should be controlled by regulating the amount used in the diet.
Foreign Pharmacopeias: In Ger., Jap,, and Span.
Lustrous colourless crystals or a white crystalline powder with a very sweet taste. Soluble 1 in 800 of water, 1 in 50 of boiling water, and 1 in 25 of alcohol.
Uses. It is used as a substitute for sucrose, being about 250 times as sweet.
Dulcin in quantities likely to be consumed is harmless. No ill-effect has been observed in people consuming 25 dulcin tablets (each 60 mg.) daily over a period of some months.— J. M. Dyson, Lancet, ii/1942, 141.
The use of dulcin is being discouraged by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration since it has been found to cause injury to rats when fed at relatively low levels during 2-year tests.— Mfg Chem., 1950, 21, 182.