Processed
Aspartame
Aspartame is an intense low-calorie sweetener made from the amino acids aspartic acid and phenylalanine as a methyl ester. Roughly two hundred times sweeter than sucrose, it is used sparingly in diet soft drinks, tabletop packets, sugar-free chewing gum, yogurts, and powdered beverage mixes. Heat and prolonged acidity gradually break the ester, so formulators prefer cold or lightly pasteurised applications and often pair it with bulk carriers or other high-intensity sweeteners for a rounder taste curve. Pure aspartame is a white crystalline powder with a clean sweet onset and a mild lingering finish. People with phenylketonuria must avoid it because of the phenylalanine content; labels carry PKU warnings where required. Food-grade material is assayed for purity, residual solvents, and particle size so it dissolves evenly in dry blends and beverage syrups.
Also known as: E951, Aspartame, E951
Track this ingredient
Explore further
Breeds & varieties
A sample of named types with their own origin and culinary profiles.
Characteristics
Preparations
Provenance
Sources
Traits
Nutrition and pairings
Nutrition
Typical values per 100 g edible portion. Nutrient names open the reference page.
Nutrition Facts
Per 100 g edible portion
Amount per 100 g
- Total Fat 0 g
- Saturated Fat 0 g
- Trans Fat 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Sodium 2 mg
- Salt 0.01 g
- Total Carbohydrate 0 g
- Dietary Fibre 0 g
- Total Sugars 0 g
- Complex / starch 0 g
- Protein 0 g
- Water 0.3 g
- Energy 400 kcal
- Water 0.3 g
- Amino Acids 90 g
- Essential 50 g
- Phenylalanine 50 g
- Non-Essential 40 g
- Aspartic Acid 40 g
- Minerals 2 mg
- Major Minerals 2 mg
- Sodium 2 mg
Minerals
Aspartame is a methyl ester of aspartic acid and phenylalanine, a high-intensity sweetener— not sucrose. Neat powder yields about 4 kcal/g (400 kcal/100 g) like a dipeptide, with 0 g carbohydrate. Tabletop blends with maltodextrin are a different product.
History
Chemist James Schlatter discovered the sweet taste of aspartame while working on an anti-ulcer drug intermediate.
Aspartame was approved for dry foods and tabletop use, launching mass diet-product reformulation.
Approval for carbonated soft drinks made aspartame a dominant beverage sweetener worldwide.
Broader food-use clearances and global brand adoption standardised aspartame as a core high-intensity sweetener.