In a blind taste test, real sugar outmuscles artificial sweeteners

"Bleah!"

This is not what manufacturers of artificial sweeteners want to hear about their products. But in these days of medical and scientific miracles -- lung and heart transplants, space probes on Mars and picture cell phones -- it would seem logical that someone would have developed a sugar substitute that could withstand a little home cooking and baking without the cook having to substantially tweak a favorite recipe.

Not yet. One hundred years ... and waiting.

We recently pitted three artificial sweeteners -- in forms that measure like sugar, cup for cup -- against cane sugar in three standard cookbook recipes: butter cookies, vanilla pudding and blueberry muffins. The goal of the blind taste test was to see whether they could approximate sugar's qualities and sweetness.

By a large margin, real sugar "won." The artificial sweeteners were plagued by oversweetness or undersweetness, and off-flavors, especially unpleasant aftertastes.

That explains the "bleah" from one taster, who was especially interested in participating because she is trying to wean herself off sugar-sweetened soft drinks.

"I'm a complete and total sugar nut," she says. "I add a little sugar to almost everything -- corn bread, mac and cheese. ... You name it, and I probably put sugar in it."

Producers of Splenda (sucralose, the baby of the sweeteners), Equal (aspartame) and Sweet 10 Sprinkle Sweet (saccharin, discovered around the turn of the last century) suggest on their labels that consumers should try recipes developed by their test kitchens. And they caution against prolonged heating. But the products do claim that the sweeteners can be used in cooking and baking -- period.

Recipes for the cookies, pudding and muffins were chosen for their relatively short cooking and baking times and for their simplicity of ingredients. We wanted the sweeteners to show their stuff.

As a nod to the manufacturers, no recipe used more than 1/2 cup sugar or sweetener. The container of Sweet 10 Sprinkle Sweet advised against a larger substitution. Producers also say that artificial sweeteners do well -- or even the best -- with fruit, the reason for including the blueberry muffins.

The recipes were tested in a typical home kitchen equipped with a standard electric range and oven. The ingredients were fresh. When called for in a recipe, whole milk, unsalted butter, large eggs and pure vanilla extract were used.

Volunteers from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review staff were the taste testers, who rated the products without knowing what sweeteners were used. Criteria included appearance, texture and flavor, particularly whether there was an aftertaste, good or bad.

Although the taste test was blind, it is not scientific. Panel members do not have professional palates. However, a general agreement in opinions on the score sheets was noted, and the judges had previously participated in other taste tests.

The cookies

Craig Claiborne's original recipe for Butter Cookies in his 43-year-old "The New York Times Cook Book" calls for grated orange peel or nutmeg, and/or nuts, but those ingredients were left out to keep flavors simple. The dough is soft -- because of the heat and humidity, it needed overnight refrigeration to be formed into discs on the cookie sheets.

Here's what tasters had to say:

Saccharin: Tasters complained mostly about dryness and a grainy, powdery and gritty texture. "It was like eating oatmeal," according to one person. The Sprinkle Sweet cookie could have been sweeter, most said, but added that the butter flavor came through nicely. A lingering off-flavor "on the back of the palate -- like an afterthought" turned off a couple of the judges.

Aspartame: "Nicely balanced. Almost like a scone," wrote one taster. However, most of the others said the cookie made with Equal lacked sweetness and was bland. "Something is wrong with this cookie," was a comment. "It doesn't taste like a cookie should. Not sweet ... not pleasing."

Sucralose: Reviews were mixed on Splenda, the only sweetener made from real sugar. "Big robust buttery flavor, sweet aftertaste," "nice sweet aftertaste" and "an agreeable level of sweetness" were three comments. However, the rest of the tasters said they couldn't detect sweetness. One reported a "bland flavor, followed by an unpleasant tingling sensation on the middle of my tongue."

Sugar: The hands-down favorite: "Sweet from front to back; good, firm texture." "Of all four, I'd only eat this." "Sweet, nice aftertaste." "Tasted the sweetest to me." Several noted that this cookie was about the only one that had browned on the edges and bottoms.

The puddings

Saccharin: Sprinkle Sweet fared the worst in this category. Overall, tasters complained about either a bland "nonsweet" taste or a "metallic aftertaste with off-flavors, especially on the tip of the tongue." One man -- a self-described sweet freak who never uses artificially sweetened products -- wrote, "At first, it tasted the sweetest of all, but after a second bite, the sweetness was gone." Other pans: "Tasted sweet and then suddently turned very mean" and "kind of bland and salty-tasting, like letting an aspirin dissolve on your tongue." One judge was blunt: "Paint thinner."

Aspartame: Reviews were mostly negative for Equal. The highest praise was "overall, it's OK." But things went down from there -- "least sweet of the four," "not sweet, and kind of gritty," "not enough sugar," and "a bland taste with little sweet flavor." Another taster wrote, "Not very sweet, and not as thick as I'd like. And there's that tingling on the middle of my tongue again."

Sucralose: Splenda made a rather good show, despite mixed reviews. One woman described a "clean, clear flavor -- the real thing?" Others commented: "strong vanilla taste, and sweet"; "good, sweet"; "milkier flavor than the rest." One woman was neutral: "Not very sweet -- not bad, but not like Jell-O Pudding snacks, which I like." The worst assessments were "too sweet, and not smooth enough" and "slightly grainy, not too sweet."

Sugar: The consensus from tasters was positive. "Smooth in appearance and the most sweet of the bunch," a woman wrote. "This tastes like real pudding!" One man said it was his favorite. Two other testers commented, "overall, tastes like pudding should" and "just the right amount of sweetness, and the only one that had a smooth, creamy texture and appearance." Two people, however, found the pudding "cloying."

The muffins

Fresh blueberries appeared to be the factor sparing the artificial sweeteners from another rush of negative comments. One man wrote: "The muffins were too hard to taste-test, probably because the fruit masked the taste. But this was a good effect; all of the muffins tasted good."

A woman commented: "On the muffins, the differences were less notable than the pudding and cookies. All muffins appeared pretty much the same, yet some were slightly more doughy and dry. The difference in sweetness also was not as apparent."

The muffins were served last because of their extra flavor dimension. Because results were so close, the blueberries seemed to get to the "fruit" of the matter.

Saccharin: Sprinkle Sweet passed muster for sweetness. One taster wrote, "Yum! Not too crumbly. Sweet enough. Lots of fruit, " followed by "this one's OK, but there is tingling at the tip of my tongue." Others: "Not too sweet, kind of dry and somewhat doughy," "texture was firm, heavy, solid -- muffins appeared fluffy." Two judges noted negatives: "hardly sweet; chunky look" and "a little bitter, too spongy."

Aspartame: Most of the tasters were satisfied with Equal, although several wanted more sweetness. There were criticisms about "doughy dough," but one judge wrote, "best cake/crumb. OK sugar taste." The consensus was summed up by another judge: "Firm and tart -- not too sweet."

Sucralose: Splenda received mixed reviews about its sweetening power and texture: "It tasted fine," "somewhat sweet, but very dry," "wet inside -- not sugary," and "hardly sweet." One person wrote, "This was the only one in which I tasted the 'fake' sweetness, along with a slightly gluey aftertaste. This was my least favorite."

Sugar: Tasters rated these the best-tasting muffins and the best in appearance and texture: "This one was the most sweet and moist, with a lighter texture. My favorite" and "This is good, too. Like the others, cake is of good consistency. No (artificial) taste. Lots of fruit."

No sugar for many non-dieters

According to The Calorie Control Council -- an international nonprofit association that has represented the low-calorie and reduced-fat food and beverage industry since 1966 -- about 180 million adult Americans consume foods with low-calorie sweeteners.

The No. 1 reason, according to research, is to stay "in better overall health," including achieving and maintaining a proper weight. Other reasons include management of diabetes, and reduction of cavities in teeth.

Sixty-three percent of sweetener users are not on a diet, the council says on its Web site. "For these people, 'calorie consciousness' does not mean a commitment to weight control or weight reduction. Instead, these 'non-dieters' use low-calorie products as part of a healthy lifestyle."

Details about individual sweeteners and their use are available at www.caloriecontrol.org .

The contenders

Here are the artificial sweeteners that were compared against sugar in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review taste test.

Aspartame: Also called NutraSweet, this was discovered in 1965. It is about 180 times sweeter than table sugar. Made from two amino acids, it is unique among low-calorie sweeteners in that it is completely broken down by the body to the amino acids and a small amount of methanol. It was approved in 1981 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for table-top use. In the United States, a popular brand name is Equal. Details: www.equal.com

Saccharin: This century-old sweetener -- without sugar or carbohydrates -- saw considerable use during the sugar shortages of the two world wars, especially in Europe. It is not metabolized by the body. Brand names include Sweet 10 and Sweet'N Low. Details: www.saccharin.org

Sucralose: Marketed as Splenda, this is the only noncaloric sweetener made from sugar and is 600 times sweeter than sugar. Discovered in 1976 and approved by the FDA in 1998, sucralose is not metabolized by the body. Details: www.splenda.com