Saccharin (INS 954)

Quick Facts

INS Number

954

E-Number

E954

Category

Sweetener

Veg Status

Vegan

FSSAI Status

Permitted with restrictions

JECFA ADI

0-5 mg/kg bw (1993)

Composition

Not a single compound. INS 954 covers four related forms: saccharin (the free acid, 954(i)), calcium saccharin (954(ii)), potassium saccharin (954(iii)), and sodium saccharin (954(iv)). On Indian labels you usually see 'Saccharin sodium' (the most water-soluble form, used in soft drinks and tabletop tablets) or just 'Saccharin'; calcium saccharin is sometimes used where a low-sodium formulation is needed. All four forms share the same parent molecule (a benzothiazole sulfonimide first synthesised in 1879) and are treated as a group by FSSAI, JECFA, and Codex with one shared ADI.

What is INS 954?

INS 954 is saccharin, an intense sweetener that is about 300 to 400 times sweeter than sugar by weight and provides effectively zero calories. It is one of the oldest non-nutritive sweeteners and shows up on Indian packs in tabletop tablets, sugar-free packets, diabetic-friendly mithai mixes, and some diet drinks.

Why brands add it

Brands use it because a microscopic dose adds full sweetness without adding sugar or calories, it is cheaper than most newer sweeteners, and it is heat-stable so it works in baked and cooked products as well as cold drinks. Saccharin has a slight metallic aftertaste at higher doses, so it is often blended with aspartame or sucralose in diet drinks and tabletop tablets to round out the taste.

Where you'll find it

INS 954 commonly shows up on Indian packets in these categories:

• tabletop sweetener tablets and sachets
• diabetic-friendly mithai and sweet mixes
• sugar-free lassi and flavoured milk
• diet and zero-sugar soft drinks (often blended with other sweeteners)
• sugar-free chewing gum and mints
• supplement and pharmaceutical syrups
• some sugar-free chocolates

Veg or non-veg? - Vegan

Saccharin is produced by chemical synthesis (the original Remsen-Fahlberg route uses toluene; the modern Maumee route uses anthranilic acid). The salt forms are made by reacting the free acid with the corresponding hydroxide. No animal product is used in its manufacture.

FSSAI status and JECFA evaluation

FSSAI: Permitted by FSSAI as a non-nutritive sweetener under Schedule I of the FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations 2011 for specified food categories with category-specific upper limits. The salt forms (saccharin sodium, calcium saccharin, potassium saccharin) are covered as a group. FSSAI's Note on Non-Sugar Sweeteners and the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations require mandatory label declarations such as 'Contains added sweetener' and 'Not recommended for children' on products containing saccharin.

JECFA: Group ADI 0-5 mg/kg body weight for saccharin and its calcium, potassium, and sodium salts, established at the 41st JECFA (1993). The 1993 evaluation derived a NOEL of 500 mg/kg body weight per day from a two-generation rat feeding study and applied a 100-fold safety factor. JECFA explicitly concluded that the bladder tumours seen in male rats at very high doses occur through a mechanism specific to rat urine chemistry (sodium ion concentration and silicate precipitates) and are not relevant to humans. EFSA's 2024 re-evaluation derived a revised ADI of 9 mg/kg body weight per day expressed as free saccharin (replacing the older SCF figure); JECFA has not aligned with this revision so the international reference used by FSSAI remains the 1993 value.

Also known as

On packets, in recipes, and in conversation, INS 954 is also called: