Kathy is right ... the maltodextrin filler used for nearly all powdered sweeteners is made from highly refined cornstarch, and can lend an off-taste. BTW, it's the maltodextrin that has all the carbs ... the sweeteners in their pure form are zero calories and zero carbs.

Another problem is that artificial sweeteners tend to cross the line from sweet to bitter when you use too much. My experience is that results are rarely satisfactory when you substitute exact measure for measure for sugar in a recipe. If the recipe called for 1 cup of sugar, you'd be wise to only use ½ cup equivalent of sweetener and then taste to see if you need to add more. Chances are, you won't need to.

Another trick is to mix different types of sweeteners, for instance .. Splenda and saccharine or cyclamate (not available in US). The sweeteners act synergistically, which means they enhance each others' sweetening potential. YOu end up needing less overall. For example, a recipe calls for 10 packets of splenda. YOu could use 4 packets of splenda, and 4 packets of sugar twin. This would give an improved sweet taste for only 8 packets total.


hth,

Doreen