The European Commission has approved a new high intensity sweetener, Advantame, for general use in food and beverages. The new sweetener is produced by Japanese company Ajinomoto.
Advantame, which is a new ingredient with a sugar-like taste, “will provide manufacturers with greater flexibility in formulating energy-reduced foods with a similar taste profile as the full-calorific equivalent,” according to the Commission Regulation.
The sweetener is a clean-tasting, free-flowing, water soluble, white crystalline powder that is stable at high temperatures. Its approval for general use gives both manufacturers and consumers many options for its use and consumption. Advantame is made from vanillin and aspartame. Because of its sweetness, it will be needed only at very low levels in foods and beverages.
“We welcome the approval of Advantame by the European Commission. Advantame blends well with sugar and other caloric sweeteners, providing food and beverage companies with an opportunity both to reduce calories and to manage sweetening costs,” said a spokesperson for Ajinomoto.
Advantame was approved for general use as a sweetener in foods and beverages by the US Food & Drug Administration on May 19. Advantame is also FEMA GRAS approved in the United States for use in frozen dairy applications, milk products, beverages and chewing gums. The ingredient has found success in North America and Asia in applications where it is used to enhance various flavours. Advantame also extends the duration of the sweet taste in confectionery.
Ajinomoto continues, “The need to address the over-consumption of calories is self-evident, not just in Europe, but throughout the developed world. With the approval of Advantame, we can provide a unique, value-added ingredient to food and beverage companies.”
The US followed Australia and New Zealand in its approval of Advantame as a general purpose sweetener.
Research suggests this new sweetener could reduce the calories in some sweet drinks by 30 percent without changing the flavor.
Dr Hervé Nordmann, Chairman of the ISA's Scientific & Regulatory Committee, explains that the approval of Advantame is good news for food manufacturers: “Whether in the development of low calorie foods, beverages or table-top sweeteners, Advantame provides manufacturers with yet another option to meet the requirements of today's consumers for lower calorie, sweet foods and beverages".
As with other low calorie sweeteners, Advantame provides sweet taste without calories and can be used in development and innovation with both caloric and low calorie sweeteners. Products which use low calorie sweeteners, as all or part of their sweetness formulation, make a useful contribution to reducing the calories in the everyday diet. Advantame is also kind to teeth.
