 | ||
Assugrin is a brand name for a sugar substitute that is a blend of cyclamate and saccharin. Produced in Switzerland by MCM Klosterfrau Vertriebsgesellschaft, Assugrin was the main table sweetener in West Germany.
History
Cyclamate sugar substitute was discovered in 1937 by two American chemists and tested over the subsequent twenty years. After cyclamate was declared safe for consumption in the mid-1950s, the Hermes Company announced their new product, Assugrin, in 1954. Almost a decade later, in 1965, Hermes company came up with a mixture of saccharin and cyclamate. It was later introduced to the market under Assugrin brand with wide endorsements. In that same year, aspartame was discovered. Aspartame was introduced into the Assugrin brand as Assugrin Gold.
In 1987, orange and lemon varieties were added to the West German low-calorie soft drink Assugrin Exquisit. In 1990, Albi launched Assugrin Aktiv (Iso-Mineral-Fitness-Drink), a reduced calorie sports drink. Hermes Sweeteners Ltd introduced Assugrin Light blended sweetener as a special diet food in 1995.
In 2002, the Assugrin brand was introduced to consumers in Brazil through a new dietetic sweetener made with saccharin, water, artificial sweeteners, and sodium cyclamate.
In 2003, Swiss sweeteners producer Hermes Edulcorants, headquartered in Zurich, northern Switzerland, generated 67 million Swiss francs ($53.2 million/€44.4 million) for 2003. Their most popular brand, the Assugrin sweetener, was being sold in some 100 countries, but mainly in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. Assugrin additionally has a significant presence in the Spain and Brazil sweetener market.
In 2007, Global Industry Analysts issued a report entitled, "Artificial Sweeteners". The report analyzed the worldwide markets for artificial sweeteners in US$ Million and profiled the 108 companies serving that market, and ranked the products manufactured by those companies.