Also known as cyclohexylsulfamic acid
Cyclamate is a sulfamic acid. It is usually used as the sodium or calcium salt.
Cyclamate tastes sweet. At high concentrations, sodium and calcium cyclamate may have detectable salty taste as well. The sweetness potency relative to sucrose is about 35-50, but depends upon the concentration of sucrose which is being matched.
Cyclamic acid is very sparingly soluble in water, and is slowly hydrolyzed in hot water. Sodium cyclamate and calcium cyclamate are both freely soluble in water.
Cyclamate was removed from the United States market in 1969 because of a study in which rats consuming large quantities of a cyclamate-saccharin blend developed bladder tumors. Current evidence indicates that cyclamate is not carcinogenic. It is still banned in the United States, but approved in much of the world.
Compared to other high potency sweeteners, cyclamate is not very potent. It is usually used in blends with one or more other sweeteners, because blending helps to minimize the off tastes of individual sweeteners. Sucaryl® and Assugrin® are examples of cyclamate + saccharin blends.