Aspartame is made by joining two protein components, aspartic acid and phenylalanine and a small amount of methanol. When digested and absorbed, it provides 4 kilocalories per gram.
The taste profile of aspartame is similar to sucrose sweetness and this has been the overriding factor contributing to is success in the market place.
Before the approval of aspartame in 1983, most low calorie softdrinks used saccharin as the main sweetener. To mask the bitter aftertaste of saccharin, blends of saccharin and cyclamate or saccharin and sucrose were used.
A relative sweetness value of 180 at 10% sucrose equivalence is often used in softdrink formulations.
Taste quality of aspartame is a clean sweet taste without the bitter metallic or licorice aftertaste often associated with intense sweeteners.
As would be expected from a compound essentially made up of two amino acids, aspartame undergoes degradation in solution.
Hydrolysis of the ester bond gives the peptide aspartyl-L-phenylalanine with the elimination of methanol.
The critical factors that dictate the rate of aspartame degradation in softdrink are pH, temperature, moisture and time.
Fortunately, for the softdrinks manufacturer the optimum pH for aspartame stability is pH 3 to 5 with maximum stability at pH 4.3. The closer the softdrinks formulator can get to this level the better. In practice, many beverages containing aspartame have a pH in the 3.0-3.7.
The effect of UHT aseptic processes on softdrinks containing aspartame is minimal. Typical aspartame losses would be in the range 0.5-5% for most standard treatments.
Therefore, the effect of temperature on stability of aspartame in softdrinks is likely to be a function f storage and distribution temperature.
Although some people report headaches, dizziness, seizures, nausea or allergic reactions with aspartame use, scientific studies failed to confirm these effects.
Aspartame in softdrinks
