All About Sweeteners
by D. Eric Walters, Ph.D.

Artice of the week:

Sweetener article of the week

Neotame

     

Other names:
Neohexyl-aspartame
N-[N-(3,3-dimethylbutyl)-L-alpha-aspartyl]-L-phenylalanine 1-methyl ester

Taste:
Neotame is sweet, with a potency about 8,000 times sucrose, on a weight basis.  There is little or no off-taste, except that, at high sweetness levels, it has a slight licorice-like cooling effect in the mouth.  Its sweetness is slower in onset than sucrose, and it lingers significantly at high sweetness levels.

Calories:
Neotame does not provide any calories.

Safety:
Neotame was approved by the FDA in 2002 for use in the USA.  JECFA confirmed the safety of neotame in 2003.  It is  approved in Australia and New Zealand, and a number of countries in Europe and South America.
     Neotame has no effect on blood glucose or insulin levels.[1]  It is considered safe for use during pregnancy.[2]
     Unlike aspartame, neotame does not produce phenylalanine wnen metabolized.  This information is important for people with the rare genetic condition, phenylketonuria, since they must monitor their intake of the essential amino acid, phenylalanine.

Chemistry:

Molecular formula: C20H24N2O5

Molecular weight: 396.5

Chemical structure of neotame
Neotame is produced by adding a 6-carbon (neohexyl) group to the amine nitrogen of aspartame.

Properties:
Neotame has better stability than aspartame.  Like aspartame, its stability is pH-dependent, with optimum stability at about pH 4.5.[3]  Its stability is also temperature dependent, but it is sufficiently heat stable to work in baking applications.  Its water solubility is 12.5 grams/liter at 25°C.

References:
1.  Stargel, W.W.; Mayhew, D.A.; Comer, C.; Andress, S.; Butchko, H.H.  Neotame.  In:  Nabors, L., ed., Alternative Sweeteners.  Third Ed.  Marcel Dekker, New York, 2001, pp 129-145.
2.  American Dietetic Association.  Position of the American Dietetic Association: use of nutritive and nonnutritive sweeteners.  J. Amer. Dietetic Assoc.  104:255-275 (2004).  PubMed link
3.  Prakash, I.; Corliss, G.; Ponakala, R.; Ishikawa, G.  Neotame: The Next-Generation Sweetener.  Food Technol. 56:36-45 (2002).  

Other links:
Neotame on Wikipedia

SweetenerBook.com

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