Neotame 21CFR172.829

A high intensity sweetener approved for use in the US 6/9/2002.

Federal Register Notice - Final Rule

The sweetener is a derivative of aspartame. A t-butyl group is added to the free amine group of aspartic acid. This addition adds a second hydrophobic group and results in a product that is 30-60 times sweeter than aspartame and 6,000 - 10,000 times sweeter than sugar. The methyl ester will hydrolyze in acidic solutions like aspartame, but neotame does not cyclize to form diketopiperazine nor participate in Maillard browning reactions due to presence of the t-butyl group.

Neotame is approved for use as a sweetener and flavor enhancer in foods (except meats and poultry).

Due to the small usage levels no PKU warning is required.

Comparison of the sweetness of high intensity sweeteners to % sucrose.

See also:

Nofre and Tinti. 2000. Neotame: discovery, properties, utility. Food Chemistry 69, 245-257.

Prakash et al. 2002. Neotame: The next generation sweetener. Food Technology 56 (7)36-40.

My "High Intensity Sweeteners" page