As more people choose to avoid sugar in their diet to reduce the risks of obesity and tooth decay, artificial sweeteners are becoming a popular alternative in hot drinks and recipes. But their use raises new and unexpected problems for aquatic life.
Artificial sweeteners are created in the laboratory from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen to mimic the composition of sugar. Although there are some reports suggesting that these sweeteners directly affect human gut health, the evidence is currently limited.
A recent study by researchers from the University of Florida (USA) found that sucralose, a common artificial sweetener, can have negative effects on freshwater ecosystems. The study measured the effect of sucralose (also known as E955) on microbes in water systems. The researchers found that the presence of sucralose inhibited the growth of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) that photosynthesize to produce oxygen, help regulate oxygen levels in the marine environment, and provide a food source for many organisms, including fish.
Effects of Sucralose on Aquatic Life
Microbes that ingest sucralose do not grow because it cannot be broken down by the enzymes that break down natural sugars to fuel their metabolism. Consequently, this can have negative effects on aquatic life and disrupt balanced ecosystems once sucralose is released into the water system and the wider environment.
Artificial sweeteners like sucralose are not metabolized by the human body, so they are excreted, which is why they are low-calorie sugar alternatives. The problem starts in wastewater treatment plants, which cannot remove these sweeteners, so they end up in the environment: in water, rivers and soil, points out Phys.org.
Sucralose as a “persistent pollutant”
Sucralose is very difficult to break down, being a persistent pollutant (eternal chemical). It does not degrade easily through bacterial decomposition, like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are present in increasing numbers in streams, rivers and oceans.
If artificial sweeteners cannot be completely avoided, appropriate methods are needed to remove and recover them from wastewater. These methods include the use of biomimetic membranes, filtration devices that contain natural proteins that remove contaminants from water. Researchers are developing new biology-inspired membranes that mimic biological gates found in nature capable of selectively extracting compounds from water at low pressure and with low energy consumption.
This research serves as a reminder that policy makers and water companies need to do more to minimize the sources of chemical pollution that can affect water quality in the environment.
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Source: www.descopera.ro
