ABSTRACT
Sweetness has always been one of man's most desired pleasures. The sweet taste is by far the most pleasing of the four basic tastes that one experiences daily. The availability of aspartame extends the choice of sweetening agents available to the manufacturer. The choice of a sweetener for a food or beverage product depends on a variety of factors, including regulatory limitations, the quality of the product formulated, and the need for bulking agents. The stability of aspartame in solution is a function of time, temperature, pH, and available moisture. Decomposition appears to follow simple first-order kinetics. Aspartame provides a sweet, clean, sugarlike taste to food and beverages. Owing to its highly intense sweetness, food products using aspartame may have a much lower energy content. In addition to its use as a sweetening agent, aspartame also enhances and extends some food and beverage flavors, particularly acidic fruit flavors.
