Sweet surfactants I: Fatty acid esters of sucralose

•Fatty acid esters of sucralose were synthesized (caprylate, myristate, stearate).•Their emulsifying, antimicrobial and sweetening properties were analyzed.•All retained their sweetness while being lipid-soluble (especially stearate).•Caprylate was most effective as a preservative and myristate as an emulsifier.•Research on sucralose esters pave the way for other sweet-tasting surfactants. Surface active agents derived from the non-toxic sweetener sucralose and fatty acids of different chain length were synthesized. Obtained compounds were characterized chemically and with regard to their properties as emulsifying agents, antimicrobial preservatives and fat-soluble sweeteners. Results show that sucralose-fatty acid esters are possible multi-purpose additives, compatible with both cosmetic and edible emulsions, as well as purely oil-based, waterless formulations. Their relative effectiveness in those applications varies, and is highly dependent on the fatty acid chain length, with hydrophobic/hydrophilic character strongly impacting both emulsifying and antimicrobial properties. While the structural differences between sucrose and sucralose proved to be enough to push all of the newly synthesized compounds out of the detergent/solubilizer category of surfactants, the retention of the substrate’s high sweetness is an indication that non-bitter compounds with washing capabilities are possible to obtain.