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aspartame
Sign in to saveAlso known as 1-methyl N-L-α-aspartyl-L-phenylalanate, Aspartylphenylalanine methyl ester, (3S)-3-amino-3-{[(2S)-1-methoxy-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl]carbamoyl}propanoic acid, E 951, 1-methyl N-L-alpha-aspartyl-L-phenylalanate, 1-methyl N-L-alpha-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine, 3-amino-N-(alpha-carboxyphenethyl)succinamic acid N-methyl ester, 3-amino-N-(alpha-methoxycarbonylphenethyl) succinamic acid
Aspartame is an artificial, non-saccharide sweetener commonly used as a sugar substitute in foods and beverages. It is 200 times sweeter than sucrose, and is a methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide with brand names NutraSweet, Equal, and Canderel. Discovered in 1965, aspartame was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1974 and re-approved in 1981 after its initial approval was briefly revoked.
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that is about 200 times sweeter than regular sugar and is widely used in foods and drinks as a sugar substitute. It was discovered in 1965 and has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration since 1974, though its approval was temporarily revoked and then restored in 1981.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Chemical data
- Formula
- C14H18N2O5
- Molecular weight
- 294.3 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- (3S)-3-amino-4-[[(2S)-1-methoxy-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl]amino]-4-oxobutanoic acid
- SMILES
- COC(=O)[C@H](CC1=CC=CC=C1)NC(=O)[C@H](CC(=O)O)N
- InChIKey
- IAOZJIPTCAWIRG-QWRGUYRKSA-N
- XLogP
- -2.7
- Polar surface area
- 119 Ų
- H-bond donors
- 3
- H-bond acceptors
- 6
- Formal charge
- 0
via PubChem
Research
2,019 papers- Aspartame-True or False? Narrative Review of Safety Analysis of General Use in Products.ReviewNutrients · 2021Czarnecka K, Pilarz A, Rogut A et al.DOI: 10.3390/nu13061957
- Understanding the link between aspartame and cancer.ReviewExpert review of anticancer therapy · 2024Soffritti MDOI: 10.1080/14737140.2024.2383675
- Aspartame Safety as a Food Sweetener and Related Health Hazards.ReviewNutrients · 2023Shaher SAA, Mihailescu DF, Amuzescu BDOI: 10.3390/nu15163627
- Neurophysiological symptoms and aspartame: What is the connection?ReviewNutritional neuroscience · 2018Choudhary AK, Lee YYDOI: 10.1080/1028415X.2017.1288340
- Aspartame increases the risk of liver cancer through CASP1 protein: A comprehensive network analysis insights.Ecotoxicology and environmental safety · 2025Li NR, Zeng YX, Gu YF et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2025.118089
- Aspartame-induced cognitive dysfunction: Unveiling role of microglia-mediated neuroinflammation and molecular remediation.ReviewInternational immunopharmacology · 2024Dar WDOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.112295
- Aspartame and cancer - new evidence for causation.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2021Landrigan PJ, Straif KDOI: 10.1186/s12940-021-00725-y
- Aspartame carcinogenic potential revealed through network toxicology and molecular docking insights.Scientific reports · 2024Chen D, Hou XDOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-62461-w
via PubMed
~19 min read
Encyclopedic overview
24 sectionsContents
- Uses
- Acceptable levels of consumption
- Safety and health effects
- Metabolism and body weight
- Phenylalanine
- Cancer
- Neurological safety
- Headaches
- Water quality
- Mechanism of action
- Metabolites
- Aspartic acid
- Methanol
- Chemistry
- History
- Compendial status
- Commercial uses
- NutraSweet Company
- Ajinomoto
- Holland Sweetener Company
- Competing products
- See also
- References
- External links
Aspartame is an artificial, non-saccharide sweetener commonly used as a sugar substitute in foods and beverages. It is 200 times sweeter than sucrose, and is a methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide with brand names NutraSweet, Equal, and Canderel. Discovered in 1965, aspartame was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1974 and re-approved in 1981 after its initial approval was briefly revoked.
Aspartame is one of the most studied food additives in the human food supply. Reviews by over 100 governmental regulatory bodies found the ingredient safe for consumption at the normal acceptable daily intake limit. A number of health organizations such as the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, and American Cancer Society are supportive of its use consistent with other approved low-calorie sweeteners.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “aspartame” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.