Why do some products have both sugar and apspartame (or saccharine or sucrulose or sorbital) in them?

Question

Aren't aspartame, saccharine, sucrulose and sorbital all sugar substitutes? Why would it be necessary to put both sugar and a sugar substitute in something? Am I the only person who thinks that’s pointless? If there is a good reason for it, please tell me what that reason is.

I know they don't usually put in both. However I have read some product labels that claim to include both sugar and a sugar substitute. I'm afraid I can't name any of those products off hand though, because I don't buy anything thing with artificial sweeteners. I do know that certain types of chewing gum have both though.

Answer 1

They want to make the sugar percentage appearing on the labels be lower so that people think that it is healthier and buy it. The artificial sugars make the food sweet but doesn't count as a sugar

Answer 2

Umm no its not pointless, sugar has a taste that substitutes cant fully reproduce (diet soda doesnt take like regular soda, to me anyways...) but sugar also has alot of calories, so they add substitute with the sugar to cut back on the calories but not completely alter the taste.

Answer 3

some times the product has to have a certain amout of volume to them that only sugar can give, also heat is a factor some of the products don't work with heat, like when the product is cooked or bake in the production

Answer 4

Its put in there to subsitite for sugar. Usually they don't put in both. Aspartame I heard is not really good for you so I don't know why the government is putting it in our foods. They are trying to kill us or something?

Answer 5

I suspect they are trying to add more sweetness without adding more calories. I also agree with the previous answerer that it might have to do with taste; they do taste slightly different.