methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide used as a sugar substitute in some foods and beverages. Aspartame is a non-saccharide sweetener, and as a non-carbohydrate it differentiates from other sweeteners like sucrose and glucose. It is also classified as artificial and non-nutritive - as it has only 4 calories per gram.
Aspartame is roughly 200 times sweeter than sucrose and is fully digested by the body, breaking down to methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid, phenylalanine and aspartic acid. In carbonated drinks, it also creates a substance called aspartylphenylalanine diketopiperazine. US FDA has set the ADI for aspartame at 50 mg/kg of body weight/day. In contrast, the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) has set it at 40 mg/kg. This means that an adult should not consume more than 20 aspartame-sweetened 12oz carbonated soft drinks per day.
Aspartame is roughly 200 times sweeter than sucrose and is fully digested by the body, breaking down to methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid, phenylalanine and aspartic acid. In carbonated drinks, it also creates a substance called aspartylphenylalanine diketopiperazine. US FDA has set the ADI for aspartame at 50 mg/kg of body weight/day. In contrast, the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) has set it at 40 mg/kg. This means that an adult should not consume more than 20 aspartame-sweetened 12oz carbonated soft drinks per day.
