Aspartame (Food) - India

Brief Overview

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener, categorized as E951 in the European Union, commonly used as a sugar substitute in certain foods and beverages. It is the methyl ester of the dipeptide aspartic acid/phenylalanine. With a sweetness approximately 200 times greater than sucrose, aspartame imparts a sweet taste in minuscule amounts, rendering its caloric contribution negligible despite producing four kilocalories of energy per gram when metabolized. While the taste onset and duration differ from table sugar, aspartame closely approximates sugar's taste profile among approved artificial sweeteners. Its sweetness duration surpasses that of sucrose, often leading to blending with other sweeteners like acesulfame potassium to achieve a taste more akin to sugar. Aspartame can be synthesized from its constituent amino acids, L-phenylalanine, and L-aspartate.

Manufacturing Process

The production of aspartame usually involves starting with phenylalanine, to which methanol is added, and subsequently incorporating slightly modified aspartic acid. The adjustment to aspartic acid is made to prevent undesired additional reactions.

Food Industry

Aspartame is extensively employed as an artificial sweetener in a range of food and beverage items, including soft drinks, fruit juices, and fruit syrups. It is a common ingredient in various dairy products like yogurt, frozen treats, and desserts. Additionally, it is utilized in confectionery items such as chewing gum, candies, pastilles, mints, chocolate, and jellies.

Pharmaceutical Industry
Aspartame is also utilized as an artificial sweetener in pharmaceutical products, including tablets, sugar-free syrups, powdered mixes, and effervescent tablets.