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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…
