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Title: Alternative Sweeteners

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4<br />

Aspartame<br />

Harriett H. Butchko, W. Wayne Stargel, C. Phil Comer,<br />

Dale A. Mayhew, and Sue E. Andress<br />

The NutraSweet Company, Mount Prospect, Illinois<br />

I. INTRODUCTION AND HISTORY<br />

Over three decades have elapsed since aspartame was discovered accidentally in<br />

1965 by G. D. Searle and Co. chemist James Schlatter (1, 2). At present, it is<br />

estimated that aspartame is used in approximately 6000 different products worldwide.<br />

The safety of aspartame has been tested extensively in animal and human<br />

studies. It is undoubtedly the most thoroughly studied of the high-intensity sweeteners.<br />

The safety of aspartame has been affirmed by numerous scientific bodies<br />

and regulatory agencies, including the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on<br />

Food Additives (JECFA) of the Codex Alimentarius (Food and Agriculture<br />

Organization/World Health Organization) (3), the Scientific Committee for Food<br />

of the Commission of European Communities (4), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration<br />

(FDA) (5, 6), and the regulatory agencies of more than 100 other<br />

countries around the world.<br />

II. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND CHEMISTRY<br />

A. Structure<br />

Aspartame is a dipeptide composed of two amino acids, l-aspartic acid and the<br />

methyl ester of l-phenylalanine. The chemical structure of aspartame is depicted<br />

in Fig. 1. Aspartame sold for commercial use meets all requirements of the Food<br />

Chemical Codex (7).<br />

41

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