It gives people a good sense of sweetness, the taste is close to sucrose, and the sweetness is about 150 to 200 times that of sucrose. It is favored by food production and processing enterprises. And because of its high sweetness, small dosage, sweet taste without producing too many calories, it is widely used in drinks that are advertised as low-calorie, and is also recommended for overweight and diabetic patients. The main degradation products of aspartame during the metabolism process in the body are phenylalanine and aspartic acid, which are harmless to normal people. However, due to the metabolic defects of patients with phenylketonuria (PKU), excessive phenylalanine in the body can affect their development. Therefore, foods containing aspartame are prohibited for patients with this disease. Moreover, the use of aspartame Food must have warnings printed on the label or instructions stating that it is not suitable for patients with phenylketonuria (PKU).

Aspartame also produces methanol during the degradation process in the body, so the safety of this sweetener has been questioned. Since the 1970s, test results have successively pointed out its toxic effects on animals and individual adverse reactions have been reported, such as causing headaches, fatigue, personality changes, nausea, vomiting, joint pain, vision loss, and endocrine disorders. It can also cause Increased incidence of certain tumors. Despite these reports, the food safety departments of some countries believe that aspartame is safe to use as a sweetening additive after evaluating the above information.

Since the use of aspartame is allowed, It has the advantages of low dosage, high sweetness, good taste, can improve the flavor of citrus and other fruits, reduce calories, does not cause dental caries, and has lower toxicity than artificial sweeteners such as saccharin. It is widely used in beverages, Diabetic foods and certain health foods. Currently, more than 90 countries in the world allow the use of aspartame. It is said that about 9,000 beverages around the world contain aspartame. Aspartame is also produced by domestic manufacturers and is used within a certain range.

In 1981, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its use in dried foods.

In 1986, the food additive standards approved by the Ministry of Health of my country allowed aspartame to be used in all foods except canned foods.

my country stipulates (GB2760-86) that aspartame can be used in soda drinks, milk drinks, vinegar, coffee drinks, and curry. The dosage should be combined with sucrose or other sweeteners according to normal production needs. The International Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization set the limits for aspartame in 1984): "0.3 for sweets, 1.0 for gum, 0.1 for beverages, 0.5 for breakfast cereals, and those formulated for use in diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. The dosage of low-sugar and low-calorie health food for patients depends on the needs, and it can also be used as a flavor enhancer."

It is said that each can (355 ml) of low-calorie drinks generally contains about 180. mg aspartame.

There are laboratories around the world that are still conducting research on the toxicity of aspartame, so humans will gradually gain a deeper understanding of it.

In addition, when eating foods containing aspartame, remember that aspartame is easily affected by the environment and loses its sweetness, and foods containing aspartame should not be heated.