Tabletop Sweetener Blend

Tabletop Sweetener Blend: Nutrition and Guide

Tabletop sweetener blends — the sachets and tablets found in cafés, restaurants, and on kitchen tables globally — are formulated for use as coffee and tea sweeteners and for light tabletop sweetening applications rather than for baking. They typically provide a high-intensity sweetener (sucralose, aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame-K, stevia, or combinations) with a small amount of bulking agent — often maltodextrin or lactose — to enable dispensing in recognisable sachet or spoon quantities. Popular products include Splenda, Equal, Canderel, Hermesetas, and Sweet'N Low in various markets. At 279 kcal and 76.1 g of carbohydrates per 100 g, this entry reflects a significant contribution from the bulking carrier carbohydrate, though the per-sachet quantity is typically 1 g or less — providing only 3 kcal per sachet in practice. The sweetness is provided by the high-intensity sweetener component at concentrations of parts per million.

Uses and Safety Context

Use to sweeten tea, coffee, and cold drinks. Not suitable for baking — the bulking agent quantities are insufficient and the sweetener may degrade at baking temperatures. All approved high-intensity sweeteners (listed as E numbers in EU/UK labelling) have been assessed for safety by EFSA and the Food Standards Agency. Those with phenylketonuria (PKU) must avoid aspartame-containing products as they cannot metabolise phenylalanine, one of aspartame's breakdown products — aspartame-containing foods are required to carry a "contains a source of phenylalanine" warning.