Item	The first generation	The second generation	The third generation	The fourth generation	The fifth generation	The sixth generation
	Saccharin	Cyclamate	Aspartame	Acesulfame potassium	Sucralose	Neotame
Sweetness	400	50	180	200	600	6,000
Sweetness price ratio (sweetness/yuan), Feb. 2020	7.4	3.1	1.9	4.1	1.7	13.0
ADI value (mg/kg·d)	0–5	0–1	0–40	0–15	0–15	0–15
Equivalent sugar intake of a sixty-kg adult (g/d)	240	150	480	180	540	540
Domestic approval time	Before related regulations published	1996	1986	1992	1997	2003
Main limitations	With strong post-bitter taste   Difficult to mix   Risk of cancer   Banned in western countries	Risk of multiple diseases   Banned in western countries	Unfit for patients with phenylketonuria    Instable in alkaline environment or in heat	With strong metallic flavor	Relatively high cost   Application constrained by price	High sweetness and small volume make it difficult to weigh   Application constrained by price