Acesulfame K, cyclamate and saccharin inhibit the anaerobic fermentation of glucose by intestinal bacteria.

The caecal microflora of Cara rats was incubated in the pH stat with glucose under anaerobic conditions, and the acid production was measured. In the presence of the sweeteners Acesulfame K, Cyclamate and Saccharin, inhibition of the fermentation of glucose was observed with ED50 values of 260, 251, and 140 mM, respectively. The nutritional relevance of these observations is probably slight; an interpretation in terms of bacterial physiology leads to the proposal that the sweeteners may act on glucose transport systems at the bacterial cytomembrane.