Abstract

ASPARTAME SWEETENER

Ali Awadallah Saeed* and Ahmed Mustafa Khidir*

ABSTRACT

Artificial sweeteners have increasingly become an area of controversy in the world of food and nutrition. Consumers are oftenly barraged with a number of contradictory opinions and reports regarding the safety and efficacy of sweeteners. Artificial sweetener consumption may cause migraines or headache, skin eruptions, muscle dysfunction, depression, weight gain, liver and kidney effects, multiple sclerosis and blurred vision. On the other hand natural sweeteners like stevia and its products are safe and do not cause any health problem. Therefore, it is important for the consumer to choose sweeteners with great care. Aspartame (APM)) is composed of methyl ester of the dipeptideL-L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine with molecular weight of 294.3 and a source of 4 kcal/g of energy (Food and Drug Administration, 2006).

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