Aspartame

Aspartame is an artificial non-saccharide sweetener 200 times sweeter than sucrose, and is commonly used as a sugar substitute in foods and beverages.Aspartame is one of the most rigorously tested food ingredients.Reviews by over 100 governmental regulatory bodies found the ingredient safe for consumption at current levels.The taste of aspartame and other artificial sweeteners differs from that of table sugar in the times of onset and how long the sweetness lasts, though aspartame comes closest to sugar's taste profile among approved artificial sweeteners.The sweetness of aspartame lasts longer than that of sucrose, so it is often blended with other artificial sweeteners such as acesulfame potassium to produce an overall taste more like that of sugar.Aspartame has been deemed safe for human consumption by over 100 regulatory agencies in their respective countries,[10] including the United States Food and Drug Administration, UK Food Standards Agency,the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA),[19] Health Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.