New sweetener gains FDA approval

Ajinomoto North America has announced that Advantame, an innovative new sweetener, has successfully completed the food additive petition process for general use in foods and beverages according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Advantame has a sweet, clean sugar-like taste. Because it is much sweeter than most low- and non-calorie sweeteners currently available, it is anticipated to be a top candidate for food and beverage formulations. Heightened attention to the importance of healthy body weight has significantly increased demand for ingredients that deliver a good, sweet taste without adding extra calories.

'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,' said Brendan Naulty, Senior Vice President of Ajinomoto North America. 'Using less caloric sweetener to deliver good-tasting foods and beverages is a real plus in today's marketplace.'

The US follows Australia and New Zealand in its approval of Advantame as a general purpose sweetener. Final approvals in the European Union and Japan are pending.

Advantame is made from vanillin and aspartame. Because of its sweetness, it will be needed only at very low levels in foods and beverages. The sweetener has very good stability under normal storage and handling conditions. Its general use approval means it will be allowed in foods and mixes ranging from tabletop sweeteners, powdered soft drinks, carbonated drinks and desserts to chewing gums. Taste panel work shows that in some beverages, sweetness from caloric sweeteners may be reduced up to 30% with no difference in perceived flavour and sweetness with the addition of Advantame.