aspartame /as·par·tame/ (ah-spahr´tām) (as´pahr-tām″) an artificial sweetener about 200 times as sweet as sucrose and used as a low-calorie sweetener.
aspartame
aspartame (as´p
rtām),
aspartame
as·par·tame ( s p r-t m , -spär-)n. A low-calorie, artificial sweetening agent derived from aspartic acid. |
aspartame
[aspär′tām, as′pərtām]
a white, almost odorless crystalline powder that is used as an artificial sweetener. It is formed by binding the amino acids of phenylalanine and aspartic acid. Approximately 180 times as sweet as the same amount of sucrose, it is used mostly to sweeten cold or uncooked foods. Unprotected aspartame tends to lose its sweetness in the presence of heat, moisture, and alkaline media. Excessive use of this nonnutritive sweetener should be avoided by patients with phenylketonuria (PKU) because the substance hydrolyzes to form aspartate and phenylalanine.
aspartame (as´p
rtām),n brand name: NutriSweet, a low-calorie sweetening agent about 200 times as sweet as sucrose.
aspartame
a synthetic compound of two amino acids (l-aspartyl-l-phenylalanine o-methyl ester) used as sweetener in low-calorie drinks. It is 180 times as sweet as sucrose (table sugar); the amount equal in sweetness to a teaspoon of sugar contains 0.1 calorie.
aspartame
Nutrasweet® An artificial sweetener/ester of aspartic acid and phenylalanine; it may be safer than saccharin except in Pts with phenylketonuria Adverse reactions Rare, with large amounts–mild depression,
headaches, insomnia, loss of motor control, nausea, seizures, etc, and possibly brain cancer. See Artificial sweeteners. Cf Aspartate, Cyclamate.
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