Category: sweetener
Aliases: E955, Splenda, Trichlorogalactosucrose, TGS, 1',4,6'-Trichloro-1',4,6'-trideoxygalactosucrose, 4,1',6'-Trichlorogalactosucrose
A chlorinated disaccharide (4,1',6'-trichloro-4,1',6'-trideoxygalactosucrose) in which three hydroxyls of sucrose are replaced by chlorine, blocking enzymatic hydrolysis by intestinal sucrase-isomaltase and salivary/pancreatic amylase. It binds the sweet-taste receptor (TAS1R2/TAS1R3 heterodimer) on lingual and enteroendocrine cells with ~600x the potency of sucrose, evoking sweetness without providing metabolizable carbohydrate or a meaningful glycemic/insulinemic response. The chlorination renders it metabolically inert: roughly 85% passes unabsorbed and is excreted in faeces, while the ~15% absorbed (partly via passive diffusion) is not catabolized and is cleared unchanged in urine, with a minor fraction (~2% of dose) as glucuronide conjugates. It is heat-stable, non-cariogenic, and contributes negligible calories.
PO: 13h