Sucralose – Heating above 120°C can produce substances that are harmful to health EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority risk assessment published
What it's about:
Sucralose is a sweetener that is authorised in the European Union as food additive E 955. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority) has reviewed the current state of knowledge on sucralose External Link:in a re-evaluation. Sucralose had previously been assessed in 2000 by the Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) of the European Commission, which was responsible at the time. EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority confirmed the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADIshort forAcceptable Daily Intake) of 15 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day (mgshort formilligram/kgshort forkilogram bw/day) derived by the SCF. The manufacturers had also requested that sucralose be allowed to be used in the food category "fine bakery wares" in other baked goods without added sugar, in addition to ice cream cones without added sugar. EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority concluded that the uncertainties regarding thermal stability require further clarification, unless limits for baking temperature and time are specified.
When sucralose is heated, especially when foods containing sucralose such as baked goods are heated, chlorinated organic compounds with harmful and carcinogenic potential can be formed. If sucralose is heated to temperatures above 120 °Cshort fordegrees Celsius for a prolonged period, this leads to gradual and, as the temperature continues to rise, progressive decomposition and dechlorination of the substance. Temperatures between 120 °Cshort fordegrees Celsius and 150 °Cshort fordegrees Celsius are possible in industrial food production and processing and are also reached in private households when cooking and baking foods containing sucralose, as already described by the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment in itsExternal Link: 2019 opinion. EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority has emphasised that such foods are only heated briefly during industrial production, which limits the risk of formation of chlorinated organic molecules, but that this risk cannot be ruled out when preparing food containing sucralose in private households, according to EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority.
The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment therefore continues to recommend to not heat sucralose-containing foods to temperatures such as those formed during baking, deep-frying and roasting, or to add sucralose only after heating.
Sucralose has been assessed by EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority as part of the programme for the re-evaluation of authorised food additives in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 257/2010. This involves reviewing the current scientific data in order to take into account any new findings on health risks. The resulting risk assessment serves as the scientific basis for the European Commission's decisions. In some cases involving food additives, this has already led to maximum levels being lowered or raised, or to authorisation being withdrawn.
With regard to sucralose, the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment had already addressed the issue of heat-induced formation of chlorinated organic compounds, such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) or dibenzofurans (PCDF) or chloropropanols, in an opinion issued in 2019. Referring to data gaps that still need to be closed, the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment recommended that this aspect be given special consideration in EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority's re-evaluation of sucralose as a food additive. In its risk assessment published on 17 February 2026, EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority also concluded that this risk cannot be ruled out in the preparation of foods containing sucralose in private households. Based on the available data and the existing uncertainties regarding the potential formation of chlorinated compounds in the various baking processes that could be used for the food category "fine bakery wares", EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority was unable to reach a conclusion on the requested extension of the authorisation to additional fine bakery wares. It recommends that the European Commission take into account the possible formation of undesirable degradation products during the preparation of home-cooked meals using sucralose in private households, especially in household uses that require high temperatures, such as frying and baking.
From the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment's point of view, the issue remains particularly relevant for consumers, as it can be assumed that the temperature used for heating food in private households is subject to greater fluctuations than in standardised industrial production processes. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment therefore maintains its recommendation not to heat food containing sucralose above 120°C in order to avoid the formation of chlorinated organic compounds.
Further information on sucralose and sweeteners on the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment website
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