Aspartame is one of the most commonly used artificial sweeteners being low in calories and approximately 200 times sweeter than sucrose. This sweetener is sold under the common known brand names of NutraSweet and Equal. It was first synthesized in 1965 by Jim Schlatter, who was a chemist at the G.D. Searle (Walters). He was working on an experiment to discover a new treatment for gastric ulcers. To test those new anti-ulcer drugs that he made, the biologist that he was working with used a tetrapeptide (four amino acids) which is produced within the stomach naturally. .
While synthesizing the tetrapeptide in the lab one of the steps was to make a dipeptide intermediate which was aspartyl-phenylalanine methyl ester (Walters). While Schlatter was doing his work he accidently got a small amount on his finger. He felt it was safe to taste due to the fact that the product was made of natural acids present in all proteins. When he tasted it, he saw that it was sweet and was wondering where the sweet taste came from. Even though it was synthesized and found in 1965 but took a long time for it to be approved for consumption. It was fully approved in 1996 as the FDA removed all restrictions from aspartame, which allowed for it to be used in all foods. .
The molecular formula of aspartame is C14H18N2O5 and it has a molecular weight of 294.31g. Aspartame is a methyl ester of the dipeptide of the natural amino acids of aspartic acid and phenylalanine. Aspartic acid has a chemical formula of HOOCCH(NH2)CH2COOH and molecular formula of C4H7NO4. The salts along with the carboxylate anion of aspartic acid are known as aspartate. It is a naturally occurring amino acid that is a component of all proteins. It is also classified as a "non-essential " amino acid, which means that humans do not need to get it from their diet since they can make it from other things in a diet. The L-isomer of aspartame is one of the 23 proteinogenic amino which are the building blocks of proteins.
Artificial Sweetners By: Humans have always craved sweet foods. ... The FDA has approved certain nonnutritive sweeteners for use as food additives, such as saccharine, aspartame and sucralose. ... Aspartame was discovered by a scientist at G.D. ... Aspartame is the sweetening agent in Equal, and is currently used in diet sodas, yogurt, fruit spreads, candies and cereals. Sucralose, a relatively new sweetener, is a derivative of refined sugar. ...
Calorie-free, as well as nutrient free, it is the ultimate artificial food. ... Is this artificial sweetener really going to give you cancer or worse? ... If you type "aspartame" into Yahoo internet search engine you would get 113,000 results, including links to an aspartame victims" support group and an official-sounding Aspartame Toxicity Centre. ... "Aspartame is a safe and suitable sweetener. ... "In addition to the caffeine, sugar and artificial flavors in soft drinks, many health experts are concerned about phosphoric acid." ...
Or have you ever wondered whether chips made with artificial fat helps cut back on fat and caloric intake? ... The oldest artificial sweetener on the market is saccharin, which was developed in 1900. ... Aspartame is already known to be a likely danger for those with PKU or Phenylketonuria, which is the inability to process phenylalanine, a component of aspartame. ... He is not asking for a ban on aspartame though. ... Artificial fats may or may not provide nutritional value. ...
They are the creators of artificial sweeteners, additives, and genetically-modified agricultural products. ... With the long list of harmful additives, dyes and artificial sweeteners added to an increasing number of processed foods, I can only touch on a few. One of the worst additives widely used today is "Aspartame," which is the main artificial sweetener for diet soda. Aspartame is known for causing seizures, depression, migraines, vision and hearing loss, anxiety attacks, memory loss, and death (Mercola). ... Despite all of the dangers, Aspartame is still legal and approved by th...
In the 1960s, Tate & Lyle Sweeteners Division, a division of the Tate & Lyle Company, was investigating the use of sugar in nontraditional areas. ... Sucralose was the first non-calorie sweetener made from sugar, or natural sucrose. ... The products that contain aspartame do have labels on them so you are aware that it's in there. This is relevant to sucralose because it is similar to the aspartame situation 15 years ago: 1.) ... There are no independent controlled human studies on sucralose (similar to 15 years ago for aspartame). 3.) ...
In addition to GMOs, there are also several additives in our foods such as Artificial Food Coloring (AFC) and preservatives. ... And let's not forget artificial sweeteners consumed by sweet-toothed Americans. ... Aspartame (Equal) is linked to lymphomas, leukemia [in rats] and has been proven to reduce the threshold for seizures. ...
In a world consumed with beauty and image, more people are striving to lose weight to suit their ideal body image. The media constantly throws images on wafer thin models, and anorexic actresses in our face and we can not help but feel inadequate. Many are turning to meal supplements such as Slim Fa...
However, the company had to withdraw the gum from the market after xylitol, the artificial sweetener, was declared a carcinogen by the Food and Drug Administration. In 1979, the company introduced Hubba Bubba and in 1984 it introduced Wrigley's Extra, a sugar free gum sweetened with aspartame. ...
Food additives such as artificial sweeteners such as: aspartame, saccharine, and sucralose have been known to cause cancer in lab rats (Gamble). ... Aspartame, or Nutrasweet, is an artificial additive that can be found in soda's and frozen desserts (The Good the Bad and the Ugly of Food Additives). ...