Title: Alternative Sweeteners

Aspartame-Acesulfame: Twinsweet 487
basis than a blend. This higher relative sweetness of Twinsweet is in addition to
the synergy between aspartame and acesulfame, which is considered later.
Because the salt provides both aspartame and acesulfame, its relative sweetness
is enhanced by the quantitative synergy between these two. That is to say,
the salt is significantly sweeter than would have been predicted by a simple summation
of the characteristics of the individual sweeteners tasted alone. This
is illustrated in Fig. 3, which shows how the sweetness of an aspartame:
acesulfame-K blend (400 ppm total sweeteners in pH 3.2 citrate) varies with the
ratio of the two sweeteners. Two curves are contrasted, namely an ‘‘expected’’
curve, which has been calculated from the behavior of the sweeteners when tasted
in isolation from each other (dotted line), and the actual results recorded by a
taste panel (solid line). The actual sweetness is substantially greater because of
the synergy between the two sweeteners.
Also shown in Figure 3 is the effective ratio of the sweeteners as provided
by Twinsweet. It will be appreciated that, because the salt is an ionic compound,
this ratio is fixed and dictated by the molecular weights of aspartame and acesulfame.
The equimolar ratio of the two sweeteners combined in Twinsweet translates
to a conventional blend ratio of 60:40 aspartame:acesulfame-K by weight.
As can be seen, 60:40 is at or near the peak for quantitative synergy between
aspartame and acesulfame-K, and the salt thus provides the maximum quantitative
synergy available. In the case of the system illustrated (360 ppm Twinsweet),
this synergy boosts the ‘‘expected’’ sweetness by 40%.
V. TECHNICAL QUALITIES
Twinsweet represents an advance over mechanical blends of aspartame with
acesulfame-K in three main areas. The aspartame-acesulfame salt dissolves more
rapidly than the blend, is much less hygroscopic, and exhibits a higher stability
than aspartame in certain aggressive environments. These are dealt with individually
in the following.
A. Improved Dissolution Rate
Consumers take for granted that powder products, such as desserts, toppings, and
beverage mixes, can be reconstituted almost instantaneously, and that tabletop
sweeteners dissolve immediately. Achieving such performance in sugar-free and
diet products containing intense sweeteners poses difficulties for the formulation
technologist. In particular, aspartame is relatively slow to dissolve, especially in
cold systems such as might be involved in reconstituting a cold dessert or drink
with refrigerated milk or cold water or in sweetening ice tea. The speed of dissolution
can be improved by reducing the particle size because this exposes a greater