Assugrin is a brand name for a

sugar substitute A sugar substitute or artificial sweetener, is a food additive that provides a sweetness like that of sugar while containing significantly less food energy than sugar-based sweeteners, making it a zero-calorie () or low-calorie sweetener. Arti ...

that is a blend of

cyclamate Cyclamate is an artificial sweetener. It is 30–50 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar), making it the least potent of the commercially used artificial sweeteners. It is often used with other artificial sweeteners, especially saccharin; the ...

and

saccharin Saccharin, also called saccharine, benzosulfimide, or E954, or used in saccharin sodium or saccharin calcium forms, is a non-nutritive artificial sweetener. Saccharin is a sultam that is about 500 times sweeter than sucrose, but has a bitter or ...

. Produced in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

by MCM Klosterfrau Vertriebsgesellschaft, Assugrin was the main table sweetener in

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

History

Cyclamate Cyclamate is an artificial sweetener. It is 30–50 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar), making it the least potent of the commercially used artificial sweeteners. It is often used with other artificial sweeteners, especially saccharin; the ...

was discovered in 1937 by two American chemists and tested over the subsequent twenty years. After cyclamate was declared safe for consumption in the mid-1950s, the Hermes Company announced their new product, Assugrin, in 1954.Swiss Business Digest. (June 18, 2004) ''Swiss Hermes Edulcorants 2003 Turnover at 44.4 Mln Euro.'' More than a decade later, in 1965, Hermes company came up with a mixture of

and

. It was later introduced to the market under the brand name Assugrin. In that same year,

aspartame Aspartame is an artificial non-saccharide sweetener commonly used as a sugar substitute in foods and beverages. 200 times sweeter than sucrose, it is a methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide with brand names NutraSwe ...

was discovered. Aspartame was introduced into the Assugrin brand as Assugrin Gold. In 1987, orange and lemon varieties were added to the

West German West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republic after its capital c ...

low-calorie soft drink Assugrin Exquisit. In 1990, Albi launched Assugrin Aktiv (Iso-Mineral-Fitness-Drink), a reduced calorie

sports drink Sports drinks, also known as electrolyte drinks, are non-caffeinated functional beverages whose stated purpose is to help athletes replace water, electrolytes, and energy before, during and (especially) after training or competition. The eviden ...

. Hermes Sweeteners Ltd introduced Assugrin Light blended sweetener as a "special diet food" in 1995. In 2002, the Assugrin brand was introduced in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

through a new dietetic sweetener made with saccharin, water, artificial sweeteners, and sodium cyclamate.International Product Alert (November 4, 2002) ''Assugrin Adocante Dietetico'' Volume 19; Issue 21. In 2003, Swiss sweeteners producer Hermes Edulcorants, headquartered in

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

, generated 67 million Swiss francs ($53.2 million/€44.4 million) for 2003. Their brand, the Assugrin sweetener, was being sold in about 100 countries, but mainly in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. Assugrin also has a presence in Spain and Brazil.

References

External links

*{{Commonscatinline
Official Website
Sugar substitutes