Ingredient Information

Function

Aspartame is used as a low-calorie sweetener in beverages, yoghurt, frozen desserts, puddings, chewing gum and dry dessert mixes. It is also available in table sugar form. Aspartame is also used in orange and cherry flavored foods because it helps to extend the sensation of taste in flavoring. Aspartame is also used in diet colas and non-sugared versions of soft drinks.

Other Use and Industries

NONE KNOWN

Health Effects

Because phenylalanine is a component of aspartame, people with phenylketonuria cannot metabolize it and should not consume it.

Aspartame has long been suspected of causing many health disorders, particularly because it contains methanol which breaks down into formaldehyde (and formic acid, another toxic substance) when heated to above 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Many studies have been done to determine if aspartame is harmful, and the Food and Drug Administration has concluded numerous times that it is safe. Some make the argument that the determination is not reliable because there is a great deal of evidence to the contrary, including anecdotal evidence.

Aspartame is broken down into aspartic acid and phenylalanine in the body. Both are amino acids that can be incorporated into new proteins synthesized in the body. Aspartame is not recommended for phenylketonuria patients. Aspartame has been tested in diabetic patients and reported to be safe in that it does not cause a change in the sugar regulation mechanisms in the body. However, there is no unambiguous verdict on the cancer-causing potential of this sweetener. Lifetime studies on rats have suggested that aspartame can cause a variety of cancers. However, some scientists are of the opinion that low daily intake of aspartame does not cause any cancers and is not toxic to the brain. Given the fact that long-term effects of consumption of artificial sweeteners is unknown, they are best avoided.

Origins

Aspartame is the methyl ester of Aspartic acid and phenylalanine, European nomenclature, E951. Aspartame can be chemically synthesized from aspartic acid and phenylalanine. Aspartame was first sold under the brand name Nutrasweet. Since 1990, it has additionally been sold as Amino Sweet. It was first synthesized in 1965 by James M. Schlatter, a chemist working for GD Searle and Co., and pattented in 1992.

Aspartame was approved by the FDA for food use in 1974. It was synthesized in the coarse of producing an anti-ulcer drug. Schlatter discovered the chemical's sweet taste when he licked his finger after handling it. The chemist played around with several hundred modified versions of the product, but the original was the most economical, best tasting, and had excellent stabilizer properties.

In 1975, a task force reported "serious deficiencies" in Seale's operations and practices. In 1979, the Center for Food and Nutritional Safety said the product's problem's were minor and attested to its safety. For several years, Monsanto owned the product.