Neotame is an artificial sweetener made by NutraSweet.
It is derived from and similar in structure to aspartame. However, Neotame is heat stable, much more
potent, and of no danger to those suffering from phenylketonuria, as it does not metabolize into
phenylalanine. Neotame is
rapidly metabolized, completely eliminated, and does not accumulate in the body.
The major metabolic pathway is hydrolysis of the methyl ester by esterases that
are present throughout the body, which yields de-esterified Neotame and
methanol. Because only very small amounts of Neotame are needed to sweeten
foods, the amount of methanol derived from Neotame is very small relative to
that derived from common foods, such as fruit and vegetable juices. Peptidases,
which would typically break the peptide bond between the aspartic acid and
phenylalanine moieties, are essentially blocked by the presence of the
3,3-dimethylbutyl moiety, thus reducing the availability of phenylalanine.
Approved by the FDA for general use in July 2002,
Neotame has yet to be used in a wide variety of products. Neotame is 8,000 times
sweeter than table sugar and 13,000 times more potent.
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