Title: Alternative Sweeteners

Aspartame-Acesulfame: Twinsweet 493
Figure 6 Segregation in a powder mix. Aspartame-acesulfame (Twinsweet) produces
a narrower distribution of sweetness than an equisweet, equimolar physical mixture of
aspartame with acesulfame-K (APM:AceK blend) after forced vibration of an instant beverage
powder mix. (From Ref. 5.)
direct benefit. The salt dissolves in about half the time required for aspartame of
matched particle size (see Section V), and this means better products for impatient
consumers, especially where dissolution is required in a cold solvent, such as
chilled milk or iced tea. In addition, when Twinsweet dissolves, it always releases
aspartame and acesulfame in an exactly balanced ratio, and this ratio is constant
throughout the dissolution process. This is not so when a physical blend of the
intense sweeteners is used because the individual sweeteners dissolve at different
rates. This means that, until both sweeteners are fully dissolved—a process that
can take several minutes in the cold—there is a mismatch in the blend ratio and
the taste is not as the product designers intended.
B. Chewing Gum
The aspartame-acesulfame salt has exciting advantages in chewing gum. Fry et
al. (7) have demonstrated long-lasting sweetness, a noticeable boost to sweetness
after some minutes of chewing, as well as improvements to stability and shelflife.
Long-lasting sweetness is a key feature of chewing gum because sweetness
and flavor perception are intimately related. A gum that is no longer sweet is
also perceived as having reduced flavor. In general, ordinary chewing gum gives
an immediate sweetness that declines quite rapidly after the first 1 or 2 minutes.