The book "The Dorito Effect" goes into this a lot. Basically, the sugar substitutes are often discovered in food labs by accident (someone didn't wash their han

The book "The Dorito Effect" goes into this a lot. Basically, the sugar substitutes are often discovered in food labs by accident (someone didn't wash their hands and licked their fingers, ew). These substances are tens of thousands of times more sweet than sugar, allowing for "zero" amount in the final product.