Question on setting up a detailed experiment testing new artificial sweetener for taste and safety?

Question

It has already been tested on animals and this has to be a detailed study. The new sweetener is believed to taste better and be safer than others on the market. How would you set up the study?

Answer 1

There are appropriate protocols established for studies on the safety factor. What you need to keep in mind is that animals studies are never conclusive, even those which study the chemical metabolites of the chemical tested (and most do not).

If you are looking for a real practical solution, contact one or more of the professional labs which do this every day (at least in terms of safety). If this is for a school project, one of these companies can at least give you a starting point. Federal and State guidelines must be followed.

As for the taste testing, there are several approaches, including double blind test offering a comparison between real sugar, corn sweetener, your product and at least two or three of the currently use artificial sweeteners on the market (not all have to be offered at every location). This could be done as an additive to tea or coffee or in a cooked or baked product. A simple questionnaire could be used to record the results.