Aspartame

Description

Aspartame is the most popular artificial sweetener in the United States. It is sold as sweeteners such as NutraSweet and Equal, but it is also incorporated into thousands of food products.

Description

The sweetener aspartame is a dipeptide ester sold under the tradenames Equal and NutraSweet, among others. It is formally a condensation product of aspartic acid with the methyl ester of phenylalanine; but the actual synthetic methods are more complex.
In 1968, a South African patent for synthesizing aspartame and other dipeptide sweeteners was awarded to James M. Schlatter and assigned to G. D. Searle (Chicago), now part of Pfizer. The equivalent US Patent (3,492,131) was awarded in 1970. But not until 1981 did the US Food and Drug Administration approve it for use in foods.
At one time, rumors held that aspartame is carcinogenic; but studies performed from 2006 through 2015 refuted this allegation. The FDA and National Cancer Institute supported these studies.
Aspartame’s sweetness is ≈200 times greater than that of sucrose. Its solubility and stability in aqueous media depend strongly on pH. It is most stable at pH 4.3, which makes it ideal for sweetening carbonated beverages. It is unstable at normal cooking and baking temperatures; but it can be used in “no-heat” recipes.
Aspartame is considered to mimic the qualities of sucrose (e.g., flavor, taste duration, and low aftertaste) better than other artificial sweeteners.

The Uses of Aspartame

Aspartame is a high-intensity sweetener that is a dipeptide, provid- ing 4 cal/g. it is synthesized by combining the methyl ester of phenylalanine with aspartic acid, forming the compound n-l-alpha- aspartyl-l-phenylalanine-1-methyl ester. it is approximately 200 times as sweet as sucrose and tastes similar to sugar. it is compara- tively sweeter at low usage levels and at room temperature. its mini- mum solubility is at ph 5.2, its isoelectric point. its maximum solubility is at ph 2.2. it has a solubility of 1% in water at 25°c. the solubility increases with temperature. aspartame has a certain insta- bility in liquid systems which results in a decrease in sweetness. it decomposes to aspartylphenylalanine or to diketropiperazine (dkp) and neither of these forms is sweet. the stability of aspartame is a function of time, temperature, ph, and water activity. maximum stability is at approximately ph 4.3. it is not usually used in baked goods because it breaks down at the high baking temperatures. it contains phenylalanine, which restricts its use for those afflicted with phenylketonuria, the inability to metabolize phenylalanine. uses include cold breakfast cereals, desserts, topping mixes, chew- ing gum, beverages, and frozen desserts. the usage level ranges from 0.01 to 0.02%.