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Aspartame (Aspartame, E951)
Aspartame, also known as Sladex, Nutrasvit, Aspamix, is a synthetic sweetener that is not saccharide. It is used as a food additive and as a sugar substitute. Not to be confused with asparcam (medicine) and aspartate (aspartic acid or its salt).
General Characteristics of Aspartame
The substance Aspartame looks like white crystals, odorless, almost 200 times sweeter than natural sugar. Aspartame is a dipeptide methyl ester, consisting of phenylalanine and an aspartic amino acid. When heated, it loses its sweetness, so it is only suitable for food products that are not subjected to heat treatment (calorizator). Having a minimum caloric content (0-4 kcal per 100 grams of product), Aspartame is usually not taken into account when calculating calories. To create a sweet taste, a small amount of aspartame is needed, so its contribution to the caloric content of food is not taken into account. The sweetness of the food supplement is not immediately felt, but the aftertaste remains much longer than after consuming sugar.
Chemical formula C14H18N2O5.
The history of Aspartame
Chemist James Schlatter, in his work on the preparation of gastrin (a drug for the treatment of stomach ulcers), received an intermediate product, accidentally tasting it, discovered its sweetness. In 1965, Aspartame was synthesized, and 15 years later it was first used in the United Kingdom and the United States, where it was used as a sweetener.
The Harm of Aspartame
Doctors and scientists are increasingly inclined to recommend using E951 at a minimum, because such negative consequences of long-term use of the supplement as allergic reactions, headaches, depression, migraines and insomnia have been proven.
Despite the low caloric content, you should not get carried away with the use of Aspartame, even those suffering from diseases that require you to exclude sugar from the diet. The presence of phenylalanine in E951 makes its reception categorically impossible for people suffering from the rare disease phenylketonuria.
The insidiousness of Aspartame is that the saliva can not wash off E951 completely, there is a sweet taste in the mouth that you want to drown out. Therefore, drinking a glass of carbonated sweet drink in the heat, after a couple of minutes, a person reaches for a second portion.
Application of E951 in the food industry
Aspartame is available under various brands both separately and as part of mixtures of sweeteners.
Aspartame is used in the production of the following products:
- non-alcoholic soft drinks,
- chewing gum,
- yoghurts,
- candies,
- sugar substitutes,
- some vitamins and cough lozenges.
Therefore, when buying something from the listed products and seeing the inscription “no sugar”, it is worth taking a closer look at the composition.
Aspartame is often sold in tablet form under the names Sweetener, Sweetly, Shugafri, this option is used as an alternative to sugar. For sweetness, 1 tablet of Aspartame is equal to 3 grams of sugar. It is used for obesity and other diseases that require the restriction or exclusion of sugar consumption.
Use of E951
In 2008, the Journal of Dietary Nutrition published an analysis in which scientists evaluated the potential effects of Aspartame (some of its components: methanol, phenylalanine and aspartic acid) on the brain. In the analysis, the authors detail the ability of phenylalanine to disrupt brain chemistry, which can adversely affect various areas, including mood, behavior, sleep, and appetite.
The authors also draw attention to the fact that phenylalanine has the ability to disrupt the metabolism of amino acids, nerve function and hormonal balance in the body.
In our country, the European Union and the United States, the use of E591 Aspartame is allowed, but it is normalized – no more than 40 mg per kg of weight, with the United States the norm is slightly more-50 mg of a dietary supplement per kg of body weight.
Therefore, in everything you need to know the measure!