Spectroscopic and Toxicological Analysis of Synthetic Food Additives on Potential Non-Communicable Disease Risks: A Chemical and Bioactivity-Based Approach

Abstract

Consumption of ultra-processed foods containing synthetic food additives has increased substantially in Indonesia alongside rising non-communicable disease (NCD) indicators, including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), obesity, and cardiovascular disease. This study employed a dual approach consisting of an ecological analysis of the association between per-capita import volume of four non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS)—saccharin, cyclamate, aspartame, and sucralose—and national NCD trends during 2015–2024, combined with a structured synthesis of published spectroscopic and toxicological data. Import data were obtained from UN Comtrade and Statistics Indonesia, while NCD data were derived from national health surveys and aggregated BPJS Kesehatan records (2019–2024). Because of the limited number of observations (n = 6), inferential statistics were not applied, and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (ρ) was reported descriptively. Positive ecological associations were observed between per-capita imports and T2DM cases (ρ = 0.79) and cardiovascular cases (ρ = 0.73). Published FTIR and NMR studies indicate that aspartame and sucralose undergo thermal degradation, producing compounds with reported toxicological activity. Intact NNS also influence gut receptors, microbiota composition, and inflammatory pathways. No original spectroscopic experiments were performed in this study.