Aspartame (E951)

Sweeteners, i.e. having a sweet taste, are widely used in the culinary and food industries, as well as in home cooking. Since ancient times, honey, juices and fruits of various plants have been such substances.

Currently, the main sweet substance is sugar, a high-calorie (375 kcal / 100g) and easily digestible product that enhances attention, increases the susceptibility of the senses (vision, hearing), and has a strengthening effect on the nervous system. However, the reverse side of the medal is its high calorie content, which marked the clinical problems of mankind in the XNUMXst century, namely, alimentary-metabolic forms of obesity and atherosclerosis.

Therefore, the current trends in the development of the food industry in many foreign countries are based on an increase in the production of low-calorie foods based on sugar substitutes. They can be used by people striving for a healthy diet, patients with a pathology of carbohydrate and fat metabolism.

Let us consider in more detail a fairly common sugar substitute – aspartame (synonyms Aspamix, Sladeks, Nutrasvit, Sukrazit, Sugar Free, E-951), and its effect on the human body.

Aspartame is a synthetic sweetener made up of amino acids (the natural building blocks of protein), phenylalanine, and aspartic acid.

Category – anti-flamings – substances that use the thinnest film to form on the surface of liquid products. Such a film creates additional surface tension and prevents air bubbles from getting inside. Thus, the formation of foam is excluded.

Aspartame is a low-calorie, easily digestible sweetener that is 200 times sweeter than sugar. Today, aspartame is considered one of the safest sweeteners and is often used in the production of soft drinks. Aspartame is a di-peptide, the molecule of which consists of residues of two amino acids – aspartic and phenylalanine. Due to the content of the amino acid residue phenylalanine, it is contraindicated in patients with phenylketonuria (a hereditary disease that occurs with a frequency of 1:10 cases).

History

The substance was first synthesized in the laboratory in 1965 by American chemist James M. Schlatter as an intermediate in the synthesis of gastrin.

After its properties were identified as a low-calorie high-intensity sweetener, aspartame began to be used in the USA and Great Britain as the safest sweetener E1981 already in 951. Aspartame is not a carcinogen, unlike artificial saccharin. A big plus of E951 is its insignificant contribution to the calorie content of the product, which is due to the high sweetness and, as a result, the small amount of additive used.

Today, the global volume of sweetener synthesis is more than 10 thousand tons annually, representing over 25% of all sweeteners produced on the market, which confirms the popularity of aspartame among all other artificial sweeteners.

Most artificial sweeteners are low in calories and do not cause cavities. Also, their absorption does not require the production of insulin, despite the fact that they are tens and hundreds of times sweeter than sucrose. Artificial sugar substitutes are classified as food additives.

In terms of taste, aspartame, in comparison with ordinary sugar, appears more slowly, but it is felt for a longer time. It dissolves easily in water, has no smell and is 200 times sweeter than sugar. Since aspartame breaks down at 80°C, it cannot be used in products that require heat treatment.

When heated, aspartame can undergo hydrolysis and split off a molecule of aspartic acid, phenylalanine and one molecule of methanol. Cleavage of methanol does not occur directly in the drink, because under such conditions, aspartame, and accordingly the drink, would lose its sweetness. In small quantities, hydrolysis occurs, but the methanol content in the drink is negligible.

Methanol is a natural product. In its pure form, it is not very common, but methyl esters are very common, an example is pectin, a useful methyl ester. ^[1]. The consumption of such esters (as well as aspartame) will necessarily lead to the formation of methanol inside the body. Methanol is found in pure form in some products.

The permissible (safe) content of methanol in wines varies from country to country and ranges from 50 to 1000 mg/liter. In practice, there are many examples of exceeding this level.

In addition to alcoholic products, a large amount of methanol is contained in fruit and vegetable natural juices already at the time of extraction, during storage, its concentration increases ^[2]. The table shows the methanol content in freshly squeezed juices 3 hours after pressing and storage at 30°C.

Methanol is useless for the human body and its disposal is as follows: methanol > formaldehyde > formic acid > CO₂. It is worth paying attention to formaldehyde, which is also rightly considered a carcinogen. It is because of its presence that many nutritionists classify aspartame as a harmful substance. However, it is important to understand that its carcinogenicity is concentration dependent. A dangerous dose of formaldehyde is 40 mg/kg, MPC is 15 mg/kg of body weight. Having made the calculations, you can understand that you can get poisoned with formaldehyde after drinking more than 50 liters of carbonated drink.

For comparison, the concentration of methanol/formaldehyde in tomatoes and other raw plant foods can be 4-6 times higher than in drinks. In addition, formaldehyde is found naturally in our tissues and blood in an amount of 3-12 mg / kg of body weight, so its content in drinks is considered not so critical for health.

There is an opinion of nutritionists that formaldehyde can accumulate in the body. But opinions on this matter differ, since methanol, the source of formaldehyde, is contained not only in industrial drinks, but also in many natural products, and nature has thought out the breakdown and removal of these substances from the body.

Application

The use of aspartame as a sweetener is based on its incredible sweetness. Therefore, its concentration in products is negligible (when compared with sugar). And this is advisable not only for patients with diabetes, but also for people with overweight and obesity.

Today, aspartame is present in the recipes of more than 5000 dishes and drinks, so it can be called a popular substitute for sucrose. It must be present in:

• yogurts;
• vitamins;
• confectionery;
• cough tablets;
• dietary products;
• breakfast cereals;
• cold tea;
• fitness cocktails;
• juices;
• sweets;
• baby food;
• toothpastes.

Impact

Harm or benefit of this sweetener. When ingested, the element forms fairly harmless amino acids. They, in turn, are irreplaceable, they play an extremely important role. It is the main building material of cellular structures.

As for methanol, regardless of whether there are drinks with the sweetener aspartame in the diet or not, the body is exposed to it daily from the outside. In addition, the metabolism of methanol in the body to formaldehyde and then formate occurs in greater quantities than that obtained from aspartame. Accordingly, methanol formed from aspartame does not have negative health effects with the “moderate” use of carbonated drinks.

E951 is contraindicated in some categories of the population. The breakdown product of aspartame, phenylalanine, is present in some of the foods we consume daily. Phenylalanine poses a threat to a specific population group – those who are susceptible to phenylketonuria.

Studies have been conducted that studied the effects of aspartame on the human body at a normal level of consumption, as a result of which the teratogenic effect of E951 in most cases was not confirmed due to the lack of a causal relationship.

The instructions for the drug indicate that aspartame is very useful for those who need to limit themselves in sugar, but as with any drug, its excessive consumption should be avoided.

Features of the drug

In addition to the use of aspartame in industrial products, its use is also acceptable in home cooking. It is allowed to use in cold and ready meals, as it is not intended for heat treatment. Can be added to salads, desserts, chilled drinks, dairy products.

Aspartame is a safe substance subject to the temperature regime and daily allowance. Its maximum dosage in Europe is 40 mg per kg of body weight per day, in the USA – 50 mg / kg.

When using aspartame, you must adhere to the following recommendations:

• use only in cold form, since during heat treatment the substance loses its properties;
• the recommended single dose is 18-36 mg per 250 ml of liquid;
• do not consume on an empty stomach.

You can add aspartame to fermented milk products as a sweetener. This is a good option when you need to reduce or eliminate sugar intake.

Medical criticism

Since opinions on the use of aspartame may differ, it is necessary to draw information from reliable sources. The safety of the substance has been assessed for more than 15 years. A sufficient scientific base has been accumulated confirming the safety of aspartame E951 for health ^[3][4].

At the moment there are no controversial issues, most researchers agree on the safe use of aspartame nutritional supplements. If the substance shows at least some suspicion of a negative impact, then it will be banned, as happened with saccharin and formaldehyde.

All of the above can be checked independently, research in this area is in the public domain. Knowledge of chemistry or biochemistry is practically not needed here; personal interest will be enough to study the issue from a scientific point of view.

Normative base

Artificial sugar substitutes are classified as food additives. Their use is strictly regulated by international and Russian documents, including hygienic standards, the task of which is to normalize the value of maximum permissible concentrations (MACs).

Sources of