Neotame

Neotame is an artificial high-intensity sweetener, chemically an N-substituted derivative of aspartame, that tastes some seven thousand to ten thousand times sweeter than sugar. It is sold as a free-flowing white crystalline powder that dissolves readily in water and, unlike aspartame, survives cooking and baking temperatures, so it suits hot-processed foods as well as tabletop use. Although the two molecules are related, the body breaks neotame down by a different pathway that does not release phenylalanine, removing the concern aspartame poses for people with phenylketonuria. Approved with an acceptable daily intake in many countries, it sweetens beverages, confectionery, chewing gum, and dairy products at minute inclusion rates.