Neohesperidin dihydrochalcone

Neohesperidin dihydrochalcone, universally shortened to NHDC, is a high-intensity sweetener delivering roughly one thousand to fifteen hundred times the sweetness of sucrose without contributing calories. Manufacturers make it from naringin, the bitter flavonoid glycoside recovered from grapefruit peel, converting it to neohesperidin and then hydrogenating it. Besides intense sweetness it carries a lingering liquorice-like note and works as a flavour enhancer and bitterness masker, which suits it to chewing gum, beverages, dairy desserts, and pharmaceutical preparations. It is stable to heat, approved with an established acceptable daily intake in many jurisdictions, and its citrus-byproduct origin appeals to formulators seeking naturally derived sweetening.