Where is aspartame made

Searle and Co. Some of that powder got stuck on his finger and later when he licked it to pick a paper it leaded to the discovery of aspartame. It was finally G. Searle and James Schlatter who invented aspartame.

It is made through fermentation and synthesis processes. The fermentation helps producing the starting amino acids needed for the manufacture of aspartame. This is done with the help of specific types of bacteria which have the ability to produce certain amino acids. A sample from a pure culture of B. They are moved to a seed tank after they have multiplied in test tube. The seed tank is filled with things bacteria need to thrive, including warm water and carbohydrate foods like cane molasses, glucose, or sucrose.

It also has carbon sources like acetic acid, alcohols or hydrocarbons, and nitrogen sources such as liquid ammonia or urea.

It is also equipped with agitators and aerators which help in thriving the bacterial population. Here, they are allowed to grow and produce large quantities of amino acids.

When enough amino acid is produced, the mixture of the fermentation tank is transferred out so isolation can begin. It is separated and filtered through an ion-exchange column. Crystallizing tank is next in isolation of these amino acid.

Although aspartame can be used in microwave recipes, it is sensitive to extensive heating, which makes it unsuitable for baking. The fact that aspartame provides sweetness and flavor without imparting other physical characteristics such as bulk or calories like other sweeteners makes it unique.

Another useful trait is that it has a synergistic effect with other sweeteners, making it possible to use less total sweetener. In addition to sweetening foods, aspartame is used to reduce calories, and intensify and extend fruit flavors. Humans have desired foods with a sweet taste for thousands of years. Ancient cave paintings at Arana in Spain show a neolithic man taking honey from a wild bee's nest. It has been suggested that early humans might have used the sweet taste of foods to tell them which ones would be safe to eat.

It is even thought that the desire for sweet taste might be an innate human trait. Unfortunately, many of the foods that are naturally sweet contain relatively large amounts of calories and carbohydrates. Alternative sweeteners were developed to provide the sweet taste without the unnecessary calories. They also provide the additional benefits of enhancing the palatability of pharmaceuticals, aiding in the management of diabetes, and providing a cost-effective source where sugar is not available.

The first one, saccharin, was discovered in and has been used in products such as toothpaste, mouthwash, and sugarless gum. The sugarlike taste of aspartame was discovered accidentally by James Schlatter, an American drug researcher at G. Searle and Co. While working on an antiulcer drug, he inadvertently spilled some APM on his hand. Figuring that the material was not toxic, he went about his work without washing it off. He discovered APM's sweet taste when he licked his finger to pick up a piece of weighing paper.

This initial breakthrough then led the company to screen hundreds of modified versions of APM. However, none of these materials offered all of the advantages found in the original compound, including economical manufacturing, excellent taste quality and potency, natural metabolic pathways for digestion, excellent stability, and very low toxicity.

Consequently, the company pursued and was granted United States patent 3,, and various international patents, and the initial discovery was commercialized. The U. After many years of toxicity testing, the FDA initially approved aspartame's use as a sweetener in However, a hallmark of synthetic chemicals used in food products is that their safety is under constant scrutiny. Aspartame is no exception and has been surrounded by some controversy concerning its safety since its introduction.

Most of these concerns were put to rest in late , when after investigating various aspartame-related complaints, the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control concluded that the substance is safe and does not represent a widespread health risk.

This conclusion was further supported by the American Medical Association in , and aspartame has been gaining market share ever since.

In addition to its use in the United States, aspartame has also been approved for use in over 93 foreign countries. Aspartame has been marketed since by Searle under the brand names NutraSweet' and Equal'. Currently, NutraSweet' is a very popular ingredient and is used in more than 4, products, including chewing gum, yogurt, diet soft drinks, fruit-juices, puddings, cereals, and powdered beverage mixes.

In the U. Aspartame is primarily derived from compounds called amino acids. These are chemicals which are used by plants and animals to create proteins that are essential for life. Many opponents have claimed that aspartame is actually bad for your health. There are also claims about long-term repercussions of aspartame consumption. Aspartame is sold under the brand names NutraSweet and Equal.

The ingredients of aspartame are aspartic acid and phenylalanine. Both are naturally occurring amino acids. Aspartic acid is produced by your body, and phenylalanine is an essential amino acid that you get from food.

When your body processes aspartame, part of it is broken down into methanol. Consumption of fruit, fruit juice, fermented beverages, and some vegetables also contain or result in methanol production. As of , aspartame was the largest source of methanol in the American diet.

Methanol is toxic in large quantities, yet smaller amounts may also be concerning when combined with free methanol because of enhanced absorption.

Free methanol is present in some foods and is also created when aspartame is heated. Free methanol consumed regularly may be a problem because it breaks down into formaldehyde, a known carcinogen and neurotoxin, in the body. However, the Food Standards Agency in the United Kingdom states that even in children who are high consumers of aspartame, the maximum intake level of methanol is not reached. They also state that since eating fruits and vegetables is known to enhance health, methanol intake from these sources is not a high priority for research.

Alan Gaby, MD, reported in Alternative Medicine Review in that aspartame found in commercial products or heated beverages may be a seizure trigger and should be evaluated in cases of difficult seizure management. A number of regulatory agencies and health-related organizations have weighed in favorably on aspartame. It found no reason to remove aspartame from the market. The review reported no safety concerns associated with normal or increased intake. At the same time, artificial sweeteners have a long history of controversy.

Lab tests showed that massive doses of these two compounds caused cancer and other disorders in laboratory animals.

While aspartame is indeed approved by the FDA, the consumer advocate organization Center for Science in the Public Interest has cited numerous studies that suggest problems with the sweetener, including a study by the Harvard School of Public Health.

In , the National Institutes of Health decided saccharin could be removed from the list of cancer-causing substances. Using other sweeteners can help you limit your aspartame intake. Aspartame is most often labeled as containing phenylalanine. According to the American Cancer Society , aspartame is approximately times sweeter than sugar. So only a very small amount is needed to give food and beverages a sweet flavor.

A can of diet soda contains about milligrams of aspartame. A pound kilogram person would have to drink more than 18 cans of soda a day to exceed the FDA daily intake. People who are taking medications for schizophrenia should also avoid aspartame.