
The Scientist Who Accidentally Discovered Artificial Sweeteners Because He Forgot To Wash His Hands
One of the most significant discoveries in the history of food science occurred by mistake
It sometimes seems that the history of innovation is littered with just as many things that were invented by accident as those that were developed to address a specific need. An excellent example of this is Constantin Fahlberg, who accidentally discovered artificial sweeteners because he once forgot to wash his hands.
Born in 1850 in Russia, Fahlberg became a noted chemist. His most important work actually was due to an error made on his part around 1877–1878 when he was analyzing the chemical components of coal tar in the lab of Professor Ira Remsen at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. It was while doing this rather dull and tedious work that he accidentally found himself with the knowledge of something that has gone to impact the world significantly in the years since.
About 10 years after his chance discovery, the scientist explained how he stumbled into artificial sweeteners, which he dubbed saccharine:
“How did I discover saccharin? Well, it was partly by accident and partly by study. I had worked a long time on the compound radicals and substitution products of coal tar, and had made a number of scientific discoveries, that are, so far as I know, of no commercial value. One evening I was so interested in my laboratory that I forgot about my supper till quite late, and then rushed off for a meal without stopping to wash my hands. I sat down, broke a piece of bread, and put it to my lips. It tasted unspeakably sweet. I did not ask why it was so, probably because I thought it was some cake or sweetmeat. I rinsed my mouth with water, and dried my moustache with my napkin, when, to my surprise the napkin tasted sweeter than the bread. Then I was puzzled. I again raised my goblet, and, as fortune would have it, applied my mouth where my fingers had touched it before. The water seemed syrup. It flashed on me that I was the cause of the singular universal sweetness, and I accordingly tasted the end of my thumb, and found it surpassed any confectionery I had ever eaten. I saw the whole thing at once. I had discovered some coal tar substance which out-sugared sugar. I dropped my dinner, and ran back to the laboratory. There, in my excitement, I tasted the contents of every beaker and evaporating dish on the table. Luckily for me, none contained any corrosive or poisonous liquid.”
Knowing that he had found something worthy of further study, Fahlberg forged on with examining the new substance:
“One of them contained an impure solution of saccharin. On this I worked then for weeks and months till I had determined its chemical composition, its characteristics and reactions, and the best modes of making it, scientifically and commercially. When I first published my research, some people laughed as if it were a scientific joke, others, of a more skeptical turn, doubted the discovery and the discoverer, and still others proclaimed the work as being of no practical value. But when the public first saw saccharin, everything changed. The entire press, European and American, described me and my sugar in a way that may have been edifying, but was simply amusing to me. And then came letters. My mail has run as high as sixty a day. People wanting samples of saccharin, my autograph, or my opinion on chemical problems, desiring to become my partner, to buy my discovery, to be my agent, to enter my laboratory, and the like.”
Approximately 500 times sweeter than sucrose, saccharine is a benzoic sulfimide, and has evolved into something that is widely used across the world to sweeten things as an alternative to sugar. This has also served as an alternative for diabetics and those needing to lessen their sugar intake for medical or personal reasons. What came into the consciousness of an absentminded professor has grown into an industry that is expected to approach $13 billion in annual sales by 2032.
Fahlberg’s discovery serves as an important lesson. Of course, his scientific research helped flesh out what he initially saw. However, his ability to turn a mistake into a positive and see where that road led turned into something that has become an invaluable part of everyday life and his enduring legacy.