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E 951 Aspartame can also act on the human sweet receptor of two hydrophobic binding sites and therefore sweetness increased greatly, 6000 to 10000 times sweeter than sucrose, 30 to 60 times than Biasiba sweet .
E 951 Aspartame retains many excellent characteristics such as aspartame, pure sweet taste and good flavor enhancing properties distribution, no energy, no caries, stable in acidic medium.
E 951 Aspartame is according to the human sweet receptor double hydrophobic binding hypothesis.
CAS Number: 22839-47-0
Molecular Formula: C14H18N2O5
Molecular Weight: 294.31
EINECS Number: 245-261-3
Synonyms: Aspartame, 22839-47-0, Nutrasweet, Asp-phe-ome, Aspartam, Canderel, Asp-Phe methyl ester, Aspartamo, L-Aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester, Aspartamum, Equal, Sweet dipeptide, Tri-sweet, Aspartylphenylalanine methyl ester, Methyl aspartylphenylalanate, Dipeptide sweetener, Pal Sweet, Sladex, Zero-cal, Aspartame, L,L-alpha-, 1-Methyl N-L-alpha-aspartyl-L-phenylalanate, Aspartame (e951), Aminosweet, CCRIS 5456, CHEBI:2877, Sanecta, 3-Amino-N-(alpha-carboxyphenethyl)succinamic acid N-methyl ester, HSDB 3915, Ins no.951, 3-Amino-N-(alpha-methoxycarbonylphenethyl) succinamic acid, Methyl L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine, methyl L-alpha-aspartyl-L-phenylalaninate, SC-18862, N-L-alpha-Aspartyl-L-phenylalanine 1-methyl ester, EINECS 245-261-3, Ins-951, UNII-Z0H242BBR1, MFCD00002724, NSC-758953, Methyl L-alpha-aspartyl-L-phenylalanate, N-L-alpha-Aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester, Z0H242BBR1, (3S)-3-amino-4-[[(2S)-1-methoxy-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl]amino]-4-oxobutanoic acid, DTXSID0020107, L-Phenylalanine, N-L-alpha-aspartyl-, 1-methyl ester, Methyl N-L-alpha-aspartyl-L-phenylalaninate, 1-Methyl N-L-alpha-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine, (S)-3-Amino-4-(((S)-1-methoxy-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl)amino)-4-oxobutanoic acid, L-Aspartyl-L-phenylalanyl methyl ester, DTXCID20107, 7421-84-3, E 951, E-951, 3-Amino-N-(alpha-carboxyphenethyl)succinamic acid N-methyl ester, stereoisomer, Succinamic acid, 3-amino-N-(alpha-carboxyphenethyl)-, N-methyl ester, stereoisomer, NSC 758953, Aspartame 1000 microg/mL in Methanol, N-L-ALPHA-ASPARTYL L-PHENYLALANINE 1-METHYL ESTER, NCGC00091104-02, ASPARTAME (II), ASPARTAME [II], ASPARTAME (MART.), ASPARTAME [MART.], ASPARTAME (USP-RS), ASPARTAME [USP-RS], H-Asp-Phe-OMe, ASPARTAME (EP MONOGRAPH), ASPARTAME [EP MONOGRAPH], Aspartam [INN-French], Aspartamum [INN-Latin], Aspartamo [INN-Spanish], (S)-3-amino-4-((S)-1-methoxy-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-ylamino)-4-oxobutanoic acid, SMR000471870, CAS-22839-47-0, SC 18862, L-alpha-Aspartyl-L-phenylalanine 2-methyl ester, Methyl Aspartylphenylalanine, L-Phenylalanine, N-L-.alpha.-aspartyl-, 1-methyl ester, Aspartylphenylalanine, Methyl, Palsweet Diet, Aspartame [USAN:INN:BAN:NF], Dipeptide sweetner, NCGC00095160-01, Methyl Ester, Aspartylphenylalanine, Aspartame (NF/INN), N-(L-a-Aspartyl)-L-phenylalanine methyl ester, ASPARTAME [FCC], ASPARTAME [INN], ASPARTAME [MI], Methylaspartylphenylalnate, ASPARTAME [FHFI], ASPARTAME [HSDB], ASPARTAME [USAN], Spectrum2_001706, Spectrum3_001949, ASPARTAME [VANDF], Epitope ID:164026, ASPARTAME [WHO-DD], SCHEMBL3636, (3S)-3-Amino-4-, BSPBio_003549, MLS001066421, MLS001306461, Aspartame, analytical standard, SPECTRUM1505306, L-Phenylalanine, L-alpha-aspartyl-, 2-methyl ester, SPBio_001692, CHEMBL171679, Asp-Phe methyl ester, >=98%, Aspartyl phenylamine methyl ester, KBio3_002839, aspartyl-phenylalanine methyl ester, HMS1922B16, HMS2093B05, HMS2233D15, Pharmakon1600-01505306, APM;Canderel;L-alpha-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine-methylester;(S)-3-Amino-4-(((S)-1-methoxy-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl)amino)-4-oxobutanoic acid, HY-B0361, Tox21_111080, Tox21_111459, Tox21_202315, Tox21_302965, CCG-39444, NSC758953, s2036, AKOS015920055, Tox21_111080_1, DB00168, FA01501, alpha-aspartyl-phenylalanine methyl ester, L-aspartyl-L-phenyl-alanine methyl ester, NCGC00091104-01, NCGC00091104-03, NCGC00091104-04, NCGC00091104-05, NCGC00095160-03, NCGC00256407-01, NCGC00259864-01, AC-12293, AS-13889, DA-61267, E951, L-d-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester, L-Aspartyl-L-3-phenylalanine methyl ester, SBI-0206757.P001, Asp-Phe methyl ester, >=99.0% (HPLC), A0997, NS00000385, SW219179-1, alpha-L-Aspartyl-L-Phenylalanine Methyl Ester, L-Aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester, 96%, D02381, AB00376622_08, AB00376622_09, N-(L-alpha-Aspartyl)-L-phenylalanine methyl ester, Q182040, SR-05000001682, SR-05000001682-1, BRD-K78841970-001-06-2, BRD-K78841970-001-11-2, BRD-K78841970-001-12-0, BRD-K78841970-001-13-8, BRD-K78841970-001-14-6, Aspartame, European Pharmacopoeia (EP) Reference Standard, Aspartame, United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Reference Standard, Aspartame, Pharmaceutical Secondary Standard; Certified Reference Material, (3S)-3-amino-3-{[(2S)-1-methoxy-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl]carbamoyl}propanoic acid, (3S)-3-AMINO-4-{[(1S)-1-BENZYL-2-METHOXY-2-OXOETHYL]AMINO}-4-OXOBUTANOIC ACID, (S)-3-Amino-4-(((S)-1-methoxy-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl)amino)-4-oxobutanoicacid, Succinamin acid, 3-amino-N-(alpha-carboxyphenylethyl)-, N-methyl ester, stereoisomer, 245-261-3, 53906-69-7, c-mer;Monoclonal Anti-MERTK antibody produced in mouse;RP38;E962;Asp-Phe-OMe H-Asp-Phe-OMe N-(L-α-Aspartyl)-L-phenylalanine methyl ester N-L-alpha-Aspartyl-L-phenylalanine 1-Methyl Ester L-Aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester;L-ASPARTYL-L-PHENYLALANINE METHYL ESTER;L-ASP-PHE METHYL ESTER;Asp-Phe-OMe
E 951 Aspartame is an artificial non-saccharide sweetener commonly used as a sugar substitute in foods and beverages.
200 times sweeter than sucrose, it is a methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide with brand names NutraSweet, Equal, and Canderel.
Discovered in 1965, E 951 Aspartame was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1974 and re-approved in 1981 after its initial approval was briefly revoked.
E 951 Aspartame is one of the most studied food additives in the human food supply.
Reviews by over 100 governmental regulatory bodies found the ingredient safe for consumption at the normal acceptable daily intake limit.
E 951 Aspartame is a kind of artificial sweeteners, belongs to the amino acid dipeptide derivatives, by the chemist developed ulcer drugs found in 1965.
With low dosage, high sweetness (sweetness is 150 to 200 times of sucrose), good taste, enhance flavor of citrus and other fruits and reducing heat does not produce dental caries, toxicity than saccharin and other synthetic sweetening agent advantages, is widely applied to beverages, diabetic food and some slimming health food, our daily life to drink cola formula once containing the product.
E 951 Aspartame in the metabolic processes in the body and the main degradation products are phenylalanine, methanol and aspartic acid, does not enter blood circulation, and does not accumulate in the body, food for the health harmless.
But due to metabolic defects in patients with phenylketonuria (PKU), excessive body phenylalanine can influence its development, so in patients with the disease to disable adding aspartame.
Neotame is E 951 Aspartame dipeptide derivatives, is a new product developed at a cost of $80 million by American newt company after aspartame, representing the latest achievements of sweetener research field.
In aspartame molecule with a hydrophobic groups and the formation of aspartame derivatives.
Moreover, it is still a lot better than aspartame in dry conditions, it has a longer shelf life; in neutral medium or instantaneous high temperature sterilization conditions, its stability greatly exceed aspartame, which can be used as a sweetener in baking.
Neotame can also be used together with reducing sugar and aldehyde flavor without adverse reaction, its safety is better than aspartame and has been greatly improved.
Due to its high sweetness, etc. Sweeter is lower than the cost of aspartame.
Therefore, neotame has huge market potential.
In December of 1998, neotame as food sweeteners status of application have been proposed in the United States, and some other countries for the certification work is in July 9, 2002.
The U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed the neotame safety and functional type, currently is in March 10, worldwide more regulatory agency and national review in 2003, China's Ministry of Health approval for neotame as a sweetener used in all kinds of food.
E 951 Aspartame is a synthetic non-caloric sweetener that is metabolized to phenylalanine, aspartic acid, and methanol in the gut.
E 951 Aspartame (80 mg/kg per day for 90 days) increases plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity, induces hepatocyte degeneration and leukocyte infiltration in the liver, and reduces hepatic levels of reduced glutathione (GSH), oxidized glutathione (GSSG), and γ-glutamylcysteine (γ-GC) in mice.
Formulations containing aspartame have been used as sweetening agents and flavor enhancers in foods and beverages.
E 951 Aspartame has no odor, but has an intense sweet taste.
It is a high intensity sweetener, about 160 to 200 times sweeter than sucrose.
Normal digestive processes convert E 951 Aspartame to phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol.
Metabolism of aspartame in the body provides approximately 17 kJ (4 kcal)/g.
The stability of E 951 Aspartame is affected by moisture, pH and temperature. For a detailed description of this compound, refer to Burdock (1997).
E 951 Aspartame (N-L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine-1-methyl ester, 3-amino-N-(a-carbomethoxy- phenethyl)-succinamic acid-N-methyl ester) is an intense sweetener widely used in foods and beverages.
Its solubility in water is approximately 10 g/L at room temperature. Aspartame is not fully stable under common processing and storage conditions of foods and beverages with the highest stability around pH 4.3.
E 951 Aspartame is about 200 times sweeter than sucrose with a clean, but slightly lingering sweetness.
E 951 Aspartame is used as the single sweetener, but often also in blends with other intense sweeteners owing to synergistic taste enhancement and taste quality improvement often seen in such blends.
As of 2017, reviews of clinical trials showed that using E 951 Aspartame (or other non-nutritive sweeteners) in place of sugar reduces calorie intake and body weight in adults and children.
A 2017 review of metabolic effects by consuming aspartame found that it did not affect blood glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, calorie intake, or body weight.
While high-density lipoprotein levels were higher compared to control, they were lower compared to sucrose.
In 2023, the World Health Organization recommended against the use of common non-sugar sweeteners (NSS), including aspartame, to control body weight or lower the risk of non-communicable diseases, stating: "The recommendation is based on the findings of a systematic review of the available evidence which suggests that use of NSS does not confer any long-term benefit in reducing body fat in adults or children.
Results of the review also suggest that there may be potential undesirable effects from long-term use of NSS, such as an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mortality in adults."
High levels of the naturally occurring essential amino acid phenylalanine are a health hazard to those born with phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare inherited disease that prevents phenylalanine from being properly metabolized.
Because aspartame contains phenylalanine, foods containing aspartame sold in the US must state: "Phenylketonurics: Contains Phenylalanine" on product labels.
In the UK, foods that contain E 951 Aspartame are required by the Food Standards Agency to list the substance as an ingredient, with the warning "Contains a source of phenylalanine".
Manufacturers are also required to print "with sweetener(s)" on the label close to the main product name on foods that contain "sweeteners such as aspartame" or "with sugar and sweetener(s)" on "foods that contain both sugar and sweetener".
In Canada, foods that contain E 951 Aspartame are required to list aspartame among the ingredients, include the amount of aspartame per serving, and state that the product contains phenylalanine.
Phenylalanine is one of the essential amino acids and is required for normal growth and maintenance of life.
Concerns about the safety of phenylalanine from aspartame for those without phenylketonuria center largely on hypothetical changes in neurotransmitter levels as well as ratios of neurotransmitters to each other in the blood and brain that could lead to neurological symptoms.
Reviews of the literature have found no consistent findings to support such concerns, and, while high doses of aspartame consumption may have some biochemical effects, these effects are not seen in toxicity studies to suggest aspartame can adversely affect neuronal function.
As with methanol and aspartic acid, common foods in the typical diet, such as milk, meat, and fruits, will lead to ingestion of significantly higher amounts of phenylalanine than would be expected from aspartame consumption.
E 951 Aspartame was discovered by accident in 1965 by James M. Schlatter, a chemist working for G.D. Searle & Company in Skokie, Illinois. Schlatter had synthesized aspartame as an intermediate step in generating a tetrapeptide of the hormone gastrin, for use in assessing an anti-ulcer drug candidate.
He discovered its sweet taste when he licked his finger, which had become contaminated with aspartame, to lift up a piece of paper.
Torunn Atteraas Garin participated in the development of aspartame as an artificial sweetener.
In 1975, prompted by issues regarding Flagyl and Aldactone, an FDA task force team reviewed 25 studies submitted by the manufacturer, including 11 on aspartame.
The team reported "serious deficiencies in Searle's operations and practices".
The FDA sought to authenticate 15 of the submitted studies against the supporting data. In 1979, the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) concluded, since many problems with the aspartame studies were minor and did not affect the conclusions, the studies could be used to assess aspartame's safety.
In 1980, the FDA convened a Public Board of Inquiry (PBOI) consisting of independent advisors charged with examining the purported relationship between aspartame and brain cancer.
The PBOI concluded aspartame does not cause brain damage, but it recommended against approving aspartame at that time, citing unanswered questions about cancer in laboratory rats.
In 1983, the FDA approved aspartame for use in carbonated beverages and for use in other beverages, baked goods, and confections in 1993.
In 1996, the FDA removed all restrictions from aspartame, allowing it to be used in all foods.
As of May 2023, the FDA stated that it regards aspartame as a safe food ingredient when consumed within the acceptable daily intake level of 50 mg per kg of body weight per day.
Melting point: 242-248 °C
alpha: 15.5 º (c=4, 15N formic acid)
Boiling point: 436.08°C (rough estimate)
Density: 1.2051 (rough estimate)
refractive index: 14.5 ° (C=4, 15mol/L Formic Acid)
storage temp.: 2-8°C
solubility: Sparingly soluble or slightly soluble in water and in ethanol (96 per cent), practically insoluble in hexane and in methylene chloride.
pka: pKa 3.19±0.01 (H2O t=25.0 I=0.100(NaCl))(Approximate);7.87±0.02(H2O t=25.0 I=0.100(NaCl))(Approximate)
form: Powder
color: White
PH: pH(8g/l, 25℃) : 4.5～6.0
Odor: odorless with a sweet taste
biological source: mouse
Water Solubility: Soluble in formic acid, dimethyl sulfoxide. Sparingly soluble in water and ethanol.
Merck: 14,839
BRN: 2223850
Sequence: H-Asp-Phe-OMe
Stability: Stable. Incompatible with strong oxidizing agents.
InChIKey: IAOZJIPTCAWIRG-QWRGUYRKSA-N
LogP: 0.542 (est)
Entering the human body can quickly metabolic day aspartic acid and phenylalanine, two kinds of amino acids are absorbed, which does not accumulate in the organization.
But phenylketonuria patients cannot use therefore it is necessary to specially marked.
Every year in China about 1500~2000 benzene acetone urine disease in children born, after eating can be in vivo abnormal accumulation caused by brain damage, mental development retardation and epilepsy.
A solution of 88.5 parts of E 951 Aspartame in 100 parts of water is neutralized by the addition of dilute aqueous potassium bicarbonate, then is extracted with approximately 900 parts of ethyl acetate.
The resulting organic solution is washed with water and dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate.
To that solution is then added 200 parts of Nbenzyloxycarbonyl- L-aspartic acid α-p-nitrophenyl, β-benzyl diester, and that reaction mixture is kept at room temperature for about 24 hours, then at approximately 65°C for about 24 hours.
The reaction mixture is cooled to room temperature, diluted with approximately 390 parts of cyclohexane, then cooled to approximately -18°C in order to complete crystallization.
The resulting crystalline product is isolated by filtration and dried to afford β- benzyl N-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester, melting at about 118.5-119.5°C.
E 951 Aspartame is produced from L-aspartic acid and L-phenylalanine and methanol or alternatively L-phenylalanine methyl ester.
The standard process uses common chemical methods of peptide synthesis enzymatic coupling of the two amino acids is also possible.
N-formyl-L-aspartic acid and L- or D.L-phenylalanine methyl ester can be condensed to aspartame by thermolysin-like proteases.
The formylated aspartame can be deformylated chemically or with a formylmethionyl peptide deformylase to yield the sweetener.
The enzymatic coupling does not require L-phenylalanine but can start from the racemic product obtained in chemical synthesis, and the remaining D-phenylalanine can be racemized again.
Production processes based on fermentation are available for the two main components, aspartic acid and phenylalanine.
E 951 Aspartame is a methyl ester of the dipeptide of the natural amino acids L-aspartic acid and L-phenylalanine.
Under strongly acidic or alkaline conditions, aspartame may generate methanol by hydrolysis.
Under more severe conditions, the peptide bonds are also hydrolyzed, resulting in free amino acids.
E 951 Aspartame differs from aspartame based on which carboxyl group binds to phenylalanine.
E 951 Aspartame differs from aspartame based upon which carboxyl group of aspartate binds to the nitrogen of phenylalanine.
Two approaches to synthesis are used commercially. In the chemical synthesis, the two carboxyl groups of aspartic acid are joined into an anhydride, and the amino group is protected with a formyl group as the formamide, by treatment of aspartic acid with a mixture of formic acid and acetic anhydride.
Phenylalanine is converted to its methyl ester and combined with the N-formyl aspartic anhydride; then the protecting group is removed from aspartic nitrogen by acid hydrolysis.
The drawback of this technique is that a byproduct, the bitter-tasting β-form, is produced when the wrong carboxyl group from aspartic acid anhydride links to phenylalanine, with desired and undesired isomer forming in a 4:1 ratio.
A process using an enzyme from Bacillus thermoproteolyticus to catalyze the condensation of the chemically altered amino acids will produce high yields without the β-form byproduct.
A variant of this method, which has not been used commercially, uses unmodified aspartic acid but produces low yields.
Methods for directly producing aspartyl-phenylalanine by enzymatic means, followed by chemical methylation, have also been tried but not scaled for industrial production.
E 951 Aspartame is produced by coupling together L-phenylalanine (or Lphenylalanine methyl ester) and L-aspartic acid, either chemically or enzymatically.
The former procedure yields both the sweet aaspartame and nonsweet β-aspartame from which the α-aspartame has to be separated and purified.
The enzymatic process yields only α-aspartame.
Asp-Phe methyl ester (aspartame, APM, ASP), a dipeptide ester, is made up of phenyl alanine and aspartic acid.
Its genotoxic effects have been investigated.
E 951 Aspartames interaction with certain hydrocolloids has been studied.
The acceptable daily intake (ADI) value for food additives, including aspartame, is defined as the "amount of a food additive, expressed on a body weight basis, that can be ingested daily over a lifetime without appreciable health risk".
The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Food (later becoming EFSA) have determined this value is 40 mg/kg of body weight per day for aspartame, while the FDA has set its ADI for aspartame at 50 mg/kg per day – an amount equated to consuming 75 packets of commercial aspartame sweetener per day to be within a safe upper limit.
The primary source for exposure to aspartame in the US is diet soft drinks, though it can be consumed in other products, such as pharmaceutical preparations, fruit drinks, and chewing gum among others in smaller quantities.
A 12-US-fluid-ounce (350 ml; 12 imp fl oz) can of diet soda contains 0.18 grams (0.0063 oz) of aspartame, and, for a 75-kilogram (165 lb) adult, it takes approximately 21 cans of diet soda daily to consume the 3.7 grams (0.13 oz) of aspartame that would surpass the FDA's 50 mg/kg of body weight ADI of aspartame from diet soda alone.
Reviews have analyzed studies which have looked at the consumption of aspartame in countries worldwide, including the US, countries in Europe, and Australia, among others.
These reviews have found that even the high levels of intake of aspartame, studied across multiple countries and different methods of measuring aspartame consumption, are well below the ADI for safe consumption of aspartame.
Reviews have also found that populations that are believed to be especially high consumers of aspartame, such as children and diabetics, are below the ADI for safe consumption, even considering extreme worst-case scenario calculations of consumption.
In a report released on 10 December 2013, the EFSA said that, after an extensive examination of evidence, it ruled out the "potential risk of aspartame causing damage to genes and inducing cancer" and deemed the amount found in diet sodas safe to consume.
E 951 Aspartame is nontoxic. However, individuals with the rare, genetic disease, phenylketonuria (PKU), cannot properly metabolize phenylalanine.
Such individuals are detected by testing at birth and placed on special low-phenylalanine diets to control their blood phenylalanine concentrations.
Thus, PKU individuals need to be aware that E 951 Aspartame is a source of phenylalanine.
E 951 Aspartame is stable in dry conditions.
In the presence of moisture, hydrolysis occurs to form the degradation products L -aspartyl-Lphenylalanine and 3-benzyl-6-carboxymethyl-2,5-diketopiperazine with a resulting loss of sweetness.
A third-degradation product is also known, β-L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester.
For the stability profile at 258℃ in aqueous buffers.
Stability in aqueous solutions has been enhanced by the addition of cyclodextrins, and by the addition of polyethylene glycol 400 at pH 2.
However, at pH 3.5–4.5 stability is not enhanced by the replacement of water with organic solvents.
E 951 Aspartame degradation also occurs during prolonged heat treatment; losses of aspartame may be minimized by using processes that employ high temperatures for a short time followed by rapid cooling.
The bulk material should be stored in a well-closed container, in a cool, dry place.
Uses Of E 951 Aspartame:
Asparagus sweet is artificial synthesis of low calorie sweeteners, often used with sugar or other sweeteners.
It can be used for all kinds of food, according to the production need to use, the general dosage is 0.5g/kg.
E 951 Aspartame Is used as a food additive, high sweetness nutritive sweeteners.
According to China GB2760-90 provisions for all kinds of food, the maximum amount of use as normal production needs.
According to the FAO/WHO (1984) provisions for sweets, dosage of 0.3%, 1.0% gum, beverage 0.1%, 0.5% of breakfast cereals, and used for the preparation of diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cardiovascular patients with low sugar, low calorie health food, dosage depends on the need to set.
Can also be used as a flavor enhancer.
E 951 Aspartame is a L-aspartic acid and L-phenylalanine (body needed nutrients) two peptide synthesis, can be completely absorbed by the human body metabolism, non-toxic harmless, safe and reliable, cool and refreshing taste like sugar, but is 200 times sweeter than sucrose, the heat is only 1/200 sucrose, eat no gingivae that does not affect the blood glucose, obesity, hypertension, coronary heart disease.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) identified as A level of sweetener, has been in the world more than 130 countries and regions approved for use.
Widely added in a variety of food, non-staple food and all kinds of hard and soft drinks, the use of aspartame has more than 4000 kinds of varieties.
Can be used as food additives, high sweetness sweeteners with nutrition.
E 951 Aspartame is used as an intense sweetening agent in beverage products, food products, and table-top sweeteners, and in pharmaceutical preparations including tablets, powder mixes, and vitamin preparations.
It enhances flavor systems and can be used to mask some unpleasant taste characteristics; the approximate sweetening power is 180–200 times that of sucrose.
Unlike some other intense sweeteners, E 951 Aspartame is metabolized in the body and consequently has some nutritive value: 1 g provides approximately 17 kJ (4 kcal).
However, in practice, the small quantity of E 951 Aspartame consumed provides a minimal nutritive effect.
The chemical name for aspartame is L-aspartyl-L-phenylalamine methyl ester.
E 951 Aspartame is a white crystalline powder and is about 200 times as sweet as sucrose.
E 951 Aspartame is noted for a clean, sweet taste that is similar to that of sucrose.
E 951 Aspartame is the most widely used artificial sweetener in the world.
E 951 Aspartame was approved by the FDA for use in the USA in 1981, and now is approved for use in several other countries of the world.
One of the drawbacks of aspartame is its instability to heat and acid.
Under acidic conditions aspartame slowly hydrolyzes leading to a loss of sweetness, chemical interaction, and microbial degradation.
The shelf life of the aspartame-sweetened products with high water content is limited to about 6 months, after which it breaks down into its constituent components and loses its sweetening abilities.
At elevated temperatures, solid aspartame slowly releases methanol to form aspartyl phenylalamine and the dioxopiperazine.
This reaction is especially favored at neutral and alkaline pH values.
Because of this reason, E 951 Aspartame cannot be used in hot baking foods.
Another disadvantage of E 951 Aspartame was noticed in the human digestive system. When the body ingests aspartame, it breaks down into its three constituent components: phenylalamine, aspartate, and methanol.
The phenylalamine and aspartate are handled by enzymes in the stomach and in the small intestine, while the methanol is transported to the liver for detoxification.
The metabolism of phenylalamine requires an enzyme that is not produced by a small proportion of the population having a genetic disorder called phenyl keton uria (PKU).
E 951 Aspartame should be avoided by persons suffering from PKU.
A warning to PKU sufferers on aspartame-containing products is required in many countries.
E 951 Aspartame is about 180 to 200 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar).
Due to this property, even though aspartame produces roughly the same energy per gram when metabolized as sucrose does, 4 kcal (17 kJ), the quantity of aspartame needed to produce the same sweetness is so small that its caloric contribution is negligible.
The sweetness of aspartame lasts longer than that of sucrose, so it is often blended with other artificial sweeteners such as acesulfame potassium to produce an overall taste more like that of sugar.
Like many other peptides, E 951 Aspartame may hydrolyze (break down) into its constituent amino acids under conditions of elevated temperature or high pH.
This makes E 951 Aspartame undesirable as a baking sweetener and prone to degradation in products hosting a high pH, as required for a long shelf life.
The stability of E 951 Aspartame under heating can be improved to some extent by encasing it in fats or in maltodextrin.
The stability when dissolved in water depends markedly on pH. At room temperature, it is most stable at pH 4.3, where its half-life is nearly 300 days.
At pH 7, however, its half-life is only a few days. Most soft-drinks have a pH between 3 and 5, where aspartame is reasonably stable.
In products that may require a longer shelf life, such as syrups for fountain beverages, aspartame is sometimes blended with a more stable sweetener, such as saccharin.
Descriptive analyses of solutions containing aspartame report a sweet aftertaste as well as bitter and off-flavor aftertastes.
E 951 Aspartame is a high-intensity sweetener that is a dipeptide, provid- ing 4 cal/g.
E 951 Aspartame is synthesized by combining the methyl ester of phenylalanine with aspartic acid, forming the compound n-l-alpha- aspartyl-l-phenylalanine-1-methyl ester.
E 951 Aspartame 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.
E 951 Aspartame 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.
E 951 Aspartame is not usually used in baked goods because it breaks down at the high baking temperatures.
E 951 Aspartame 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%.
E 951 Aspartame in powder form for limited uses such as cereals, powdered drinks, and chewing gum.
When E 951 Aspartame is used in baked goods and baking mixes, it should not exceed 0.5% by weight.
Packages of the dry, free-fl owing aspartame are required to prominently display the sweetening equivalence in teaspoons of sugar.
Under the brand names Equal, NutraSweet, and Canderel, E 951 Aspartame is an ingredient in approximately 6,000 consumer foods and beverages sold worldwide, including (but not limited to) diet sodas and other soft drinks, instant breakfasts, breath mints, cereals, sugar-free chewing gum, cocoa mixes, frozen desserts, gelatin desserts, juices, laxatives, chewable vitamin supplements, milk drinks, pharmaceutical drugs and supplements, shake mixes, tabletop sweeteners, teas, instant coffees, topping mixes, wine coolers, and yogurt.
E 951 Aspartame is provided as a table condiment in some countries.
E 951 Aspartame is less suitable for baking than other sweeteners because it breaks down when heated and loses much of its sweetness.
Safety Profile Of E 951 Aspartame:
Human systemic effects byingestion: allergic dermatitis.
Experimental reproductiveeffects.
When heated to decomposition it emits toxicfumes of NOx.
E 951 Aspartame is widely used in oral pharmaceutical formulations, beverages, and food products as an intense sweetener, and is generally regarded as a nontoxic material.
However, the use of aspartame has been of some concern owing to the formation of the potentially toxic metabolites methanol, aspartic acid, and phenylalanine.
Of these materials, only phenylalanine is produced in sufficient quantities, at normal aspartame intake levels, to cause concern.
In the normal healthy individual any phenylalanine produced is harmless; however, it is recommended that aspartame be avoided or its intake restricted by those persons with phenylketonuria.
The WHO has set an acceptable daily intake for aspartame at up to 40 mg/kg body-weight.
Additionally, the acceptable daily intake of diketopiperazine (an impurity found in aspartame) has been set by the WHO at up to 7.5 mg/kg body-weight.
A number of adverse effects have been reported following the consumption of E 951 Aspartame, particularly in individuals who drink large quantities (up to 8 liters per day in one case) of aspartame-sweetened beverages.
Reported adverse effects include: headaches; grand mal seizure;memory loss;gastrointestinal symptoms; and dermatological symptoms.
However, scientifically controlled peer-reviewed studies have consistently failed to produce evidence of a causal effect between aspartame consumption and adverse health events.
Controlled and thorough studies have confirmed aspartame’s safety and found no credible link between consumption of aspartame at levels found in the human diet and conditions related to the nervous system and behavior, nor any other symptom or illness.
E 951 Aspartame is well documented to be nongenotoxic and there is no credible evidence that aspartame is carcinogenic.
