Q: Can you tell me the differences in artificial sweeteners?

A: The five artificial sweeteners are aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame-K, neotame and sucralose. Each has been approved as safe by the FDA. The FDA evaluates the composition and properties, how much would be consumed and the safety of the ingredient. The typical amount consumed is well within the “acceptable daily intake levels” that a person would safely eat each day over a lifetime.

Here are the five sweeteners:

¢ Aspartame: This is 200 times sweeter than sugar. It has a caloric value of 4 calories per gram, like sugar. Because of the higher sweetness value, the amount used is much less, making it essentially free of calories. In the grocery store, it is sold as NutraSweet and Equal. It was first approved by the FDA in 1981. Concerns arose in the mid-1990s about its link to causing cancer. It is also been linked to causing leukemia and lymphoma. Both of these have not been proven. People with phenylketonuria should not consume aspartame because it contains phenylalanine.

¢ Saccharin: This is 200-700 times sweeter than sugar and has zero calories. In the grocery store, it is sold as Sweet ‘N Low, Sweet Twin and Necta Sweet. Saccharin was discovered in 1879. In 1977, it was linked to causing bladder cancer in rats. Foods using saccharin had to carry a label warning that it could be a health hazard. Extensive studies have since proven that saccharin did not cause cancer in humans. In 2000, the National Toxicology Program determined saccharin to be safe and in 2001, the label warning was removed.

¢ Acesulfame-K (potassium): This is 200 times sweeter than sugar. In the grocery store, it is sold as Sunett and Sweet One. It has zero calories. The FDA first approved acesulfame-K in 1988. It has since been approved for use in all foods except meat or poultry. More than 90 studies using acesulfame-K prove it is safe for human consumption.

¢ Neotame: This powerful sweetener is 7,000 to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar. It has zero calories. Neotame was approved by the FDA in 2002. It is chemically similar to aspartame but with a very low to no health risk for people with phenylketonuria. More than 100 animal and human studies were reviewed to show there are no dangers in consuming neotame at appropriate levels.

¢ Sucralose: One of the most widely used artificial sweeteners is sucralose, more commonly known as Splenda. It is 600 times sweeter than sugar and has zero calories. The FDA approved the use of sucralose in 1998 in 15 food categories. A year later, it was approved as a general-purpose sweetener for all foods.

Q: Is it safe to can butter?

A: While the Internet can be a useful information source, it is also full of misleading information. Currently, there are directions circulating the Internet about canning butter. Basically, the directions say to heat jars in the oven, pour melted butter in the jars and put the lids on the jars. The jars may or may not be refrigerated. No further heat processing is done. This is basically storing butter in a different form. Is this procedure safe? This questionable procedure was reviewed by the University of Georgia.

¢ Physical safety and food quality – Preheating canning jars in the oven can cause them to break. Canning jars are not designed to be heated in this manner. Plus, they may not be sufficiently heated to sterilize them.

¢ Butter is not really “canned” – It is simply melted butter poured in a jar and a lid put on top. The heat from the melted butter may form a vacuum, but may not.

¢ Butter is a low-acid food – Meat, vegetables and dairy products can support the growth of Clostridium botulinum. Therefore, they must be pressure canned. Because of the high fat content in butter, it is unknown if the risk of botulism is present. Fat can protect spores from heat allowing them to grow when under the right conditions.

¢ Filling jars in a dry oven – This is not “canning.” There is not enough research to show this method is safe.

Considering the economics of the process, even if the butter is bought on sale, it may not be economically viable to prepare butter to store for years in this manner. Good quality butter is readily available at all times. For emergency food supplies, there are dry forms of butter that can be purchased and stored or oils that can be used in an emergency. Melted and re-hardened butter may not function the same as original butter in many types of baking anyway.