Aspartame is an artificial, non-saccharide sweetener used as a sugar substitute in some foods and beverages. It was first synthesized in 1965.
Aspartame is approximately 200 times sweeter than sucrose, or table sugar. Due to this property, though aspartame upon metabolism produces 4 kilocalories of energy per gram, the quantity of aspartame needed to produce a sweet taste is so small that its caloric contribution is negligible. The taste of aspartame and other artificial sweeteners differ from that of table sugar in the times of onset and how long the sweetness lasts, though aspartame comes closest amongst artificial sweeteners to sugar’s taste profile. The sweetness of aspartame lasts longer than sucrose, so it is often blended with other artificial sweeteners like acesulfame potassium (Ace K) to produce an overall taste more like sugar.
