The FDA approves the use of high-strength sweeteners

the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
FDA
)
May 19

announced that the agency has approved the high-strength sweetener
Advantame
as a food sweetener and flavor enhancer for use in foods other than meat and poultry.2009
, the company applied to the
FDA
to
Advantame
to food.
Advantame
is an artificial flavor agent derived from asparta sweets and vanilla aldehydes and has been shown to enhance flavor in
milk, fruit, citrus and mint, according to
Itasca
, Illinois-based Miso (North America). It has been shown to mask the odors of alternative sweeteners such as lebody
A
, sucrose (sucralose) or potassium acetyl sulfonate (
ACE-K
).



Advantame
is
20,000
times sweeter than sucrose and
100
times sweeter than aspartas, according to the

. Its heat is
0
.Australia and New Zealand had earlier approved the use of the
Advantame
Company. EU and Japanese ratifications are pending.Re
're
excited about Advantame," said
Brendan Naulty, senior vice president of
North America. "Pure sugar-like flavors mean it blends well with sugar and other calorie-rich sweeteners, providing food and beverage companies with alternatives with meaningful nutritional advantages."
Andrew Zajac
, director of the
FDA's
Application Review Division, said the

FDA reviewed data from
37,
animal and human studies to determine the safety of the
Advantame
, which aims to identify possible toxic effects, including on immunity, reproduction and development, and the nervous system.Advantame
chemical
ly
to aspartas sweets, according
the FDA's Advantame. People with phenylalanine uremia (
PKU
, a rare genetic disorder) have phenylalanine metabolism disorders, which are an integral part of aspartic acid and
Advantame
. Foods containing aspartas sweets must have a statement of phenylalanine information. Foods
Advantame
do not need to be declared, as
Advantame
is sweeter than aspartas and requires only a small amount to achieve the same sweetness.FDA
has approved the use of
Advantame
in baked goods, non-alcoholic beverages such as soft drinks, chewing gum, candy and icing, frozen desserts, gelatin and pudding, jam and jelly, processed fruits and juices, tops and syrups.