aspartame

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener used as a sugar substitute in many foods and beverages. Chemically, it is the methyl ester of the dipeptide formed from the amino acids aspartic acid and phenylalanine, known as L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester. It is about 180 to 200 times sweeter than sucrose and provides sweetness with very few calories.

When consumed, aspartame is hydrolyzed in the gut to phenylalanine, aspartic acid, and methanol. Because of its phenylalanine content, products containing aspartame carry a warning for people with phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare metabolic disorder.

Aspartame was discovered in 1965 by James M. Schlatter during pharmaceutical research at G.D. Searle. It was approved for use in foods by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1981 and is now approved in many countries, though regulatory status can vary. It is used in carbonated beverages, dairy products, desserts, and as a tabletop sweetener. It is not as stable to prolonged heating as sucrose, so it is less suitable for some baked goods.

Safety and regulation: Most health authorities consider aspartame safe for the general population at approved levels. The acceptable daily intake is set at about 50 mg per kilogram of body weight per day by the FDA and about 40 mg/kg/day by EFSA, reflecting a wide safety margin relative to typical dietary exposure. Individuals with PKU must avoid or restrict aspartame due to phenylalanine content. Some people report adverse reactions, but robust scientific evidence is limited and 의견 remains mixed.