Ajinomoto North America Inc. 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 U.S. 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.
The U.S. 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 table top sweeteners, powered 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 percent with no difference in perceived flavor and sweetness with the addition of Advantame.