The safety of aspartame has been the subject of several political and medical controversies, congressional hearings and internet hoaxes since its initial approval for use in food products by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1974.However, because its breakdown products include phenylalanine, aspartame must be avoided by people with the genetic condition phenylketonuria.
Aspartame is a methyl ester of the dipeptide of the natural amino acids L-aspartic acid and L-phenylalanine.Under more severe conditions, the peptide bonds are also hydrolyzed, resulting in the free amino acids.Phenylalanine is methylated and combined with the N-protected aspartic anhydride, then the blocking group is removed from aspartic acid by acid hydrolysis.A variant of this method, which has not been used commercially, uses unmodified aspartic acid, but produces low yields.
Aspartame, an artificial sweetener, is approximately 200 times sweeter than sucrose, or table sugar.The taste of aspartame and other artificial sweeteners differs from that of table sugar in the times of onset and how long the sweetness lasts, though aspartame comes closest amongst artificial sweeteners to sugar's taste profile.
Aspartame was discovered in 1965 by James M. Schlatter, a chemist working for G.D. Searle & Company. Schlatter had synthesized aspartame in the course of producing an antiulcer drug candidate.Citing data from a Japanese study that had not been available to the members of the PBOI.
In Canada, foods that contain aspartame are legally required by the country to list the chemical among the product's ingredients and include a measure of the amount of aspartame per serving. As well, labels must state that the product contains phenylalanine – this is usually in the order of ingredients, contained in brackets.
No comments:
Post a Comment