The presence of contraband sodium cyclamate, popularly known as Ghono Chini, has been found in packed and loose sugar varieties available in the market, finds a government report.

Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council initiated a test on the presence of the artificial sweetener on 12 packed sugar and four loose sugar samples collected from various points in Dhaka, including kitchen markets and super shops.

The samples were then sent to the internationally accredited Pacific Lab in Singapore for testing on May 27. The report that came back earlier this month found presence of the harmful substance in all the samples.

The presence of Ghono Chini was below 1 ppm (parts per million) in 15 samples and around 10 ppm in one sample, said the report.

“Sodium cyclamate is the cheapest artificial sweetener. We found presence of Ghono Chini in branded and non-branded sugar samples. It is a serious threat to public health,” Monirul Islam, director at BARC’s nutrition unit, told The Daily Star yesterday.

He, however, could not say the source of sodium cyclamate as maybe it was already in the sugar that was imported or it was mixed with sugar later over here.

Mohidus Samad Khan, associate professor at Buet’s chemical engineering department, said long-term consumption of sodium cyclamate may upset gut health and instigate tumor formation.

It may also cause metabolic problems, which is related to obesity, he added.

The import, production or use of sodium cyclamate in any form is banned and a punishable offence in Bangladesh, according to Bangladesh Food Safety Act.

“After we receive the report from BARC, we will examine ourselves and we will take action accordingly,” Mahbub Kabir, member of Bangladesh Food Safety Authority, told The Daily Star recently.

Sodium cyclamate is 30 to 50 times sweeter than sugar. It is stable under heat and is commonly used in baked goods where other artificial sweeteners cannot be used.

Experts said some unscrupulous businessmen use sodium cyclamate in items like ice cream, juice and sweetmeats for more profit because it is cheap.

Sodium cyclamate is not produced in the country and maybe it is imported under false declaration. It looks like citric acid and sodium citrate and so, it could be imported as these chemicals to dodge the eye of custom officials, they added.

Nahid Naushad Mukul, joint commissioner of Chittagong Port, said there is no scope of importing any product the moment it is banned by the government; but it can be imported under false declaration.

“We can only monitor 10-15 percent of all imported products. The rest are examined randomly. Dishonest businessmen take this opportunity. But for sugar items, we usually do not release any item without lab examination,” he said.

Mostafa Kamal, chairman of Meghna Group of Industries, one of the largest importers of sugar, said sugar with sodium cyclamate is really dangerous.

“It’s a chemical,” he told The Daily Star over phone yesterday.

“Some unscrupulous traders might have imported sodium cyclamate and the government should take actions against them,” he added.

According to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, the import of raw sugar rose 20 percent year-on-year to 26.15 lakh tonnes in fiscal 2017-18.

In May last year, the US Department of Agriculture estimated Bangladesh’s sugar consumption at 26.95 lakh tonnes in 2017-18.