The United Stated Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new artificial sweetener manufactured by Ajinomoto North America, Inc.
The product is much sweeter than most non-calorie on the shelves today, an Ajinomoto Co., Inc. news release reported.
"We are all very excited about Advantame. The clean sugar-like taste means that it blends very well with sugar and other caloric sweeteners, providing food and beverage companies with an alternative that has meaningful nutritional advantages," Brendan Naulty, Senior Vice President of Ajinomoto North America, Inc.. said in the news release. "Using less caloric sweetener to deliver good-tasting foods and beverages is a real plus in today's marketplace."
The sweetener has already been approved in Australia and New Zealand, approval is also pending in the European Union and Japan.
The product is made from vanillin and aspartame. Only a small amount of the sweetener is needed in order to flavor foods. The sweetener can withstand normal storage.
The product could be used in items ranging from "table top sweeteners, powered soft drinks, carbonated drinks, and desserts to chewing gums," the news release reported.
Research suggests this new sweetener could reduce the calories in some sweet drinks by 30 percent without changing the flavor.
"Sugar substitutes are called 'high-intensity' because small amounts pack a large punch when it comes to sweetness," Captain Andrew Zajac, of the U.S. Public Health Service and director of the FDA's division of petition review, explained in a news release, HealthDay reported.
The sweetener was approved after 37 human and animal studies were submitted by the manufacturer.
People with the genetic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU) should avoid consuming large amounts of these types of sweeteners as they have trouble metabolizing phenylalanine, a compound present in both aspartame and advantame.
The FDA will not require Advantame to come with an alert to people suffering from the condition because only a small amount of it is needed in food products.
