A low-calorie sweetener provides consumers with a sweet taste without the calories or carbohydrates that come with sugar and other caloric sweeteners.
As part of an overall sensible weight-control program, low-calorie foods and beverages can help consumers control calories and therefore control weight.
Foods and beverages sweetened with low-calorie sweeteners provide a variety of benefits to consumers. Many people consume low-calorie foods and beverages simply because they enjoy the taste and don't want extra, unnecessary calories. People use these products for many reasons in addition to dieting.

• Acesulfame-K is 200 times sweeter than sugar. Acesulfame K is stable at normal temperatures and does not break down in cooking. 
• Aspartame. This approved sweetener is 200 times sweeter than sugar. It is an excellent sweetener with no aftertaste. Aspartame cannot be used in baking, because it breaks down with heat. Persons with PKU (phenylketonuria) should avoid its use.
• Saccharin. Used around the world since the turn of the century, it is 200 times sweeter than sugar. It is very stable in foods, but it imparts a bitter aftertaste.