Advantam: Extreme Sweetness

Advantam is an artificial sweetener whose structural similarities with the likes of naturally occurring, sweet-tasting substances like neohesperides and phyllodulcin.1 It is a bond that results from a compound of aspartame and vanillin. The main provider of this compound is Japanese food producer Ajinomoto Co, Inc.

The extreme sweetness of the new substance is outstanding: it is claimed to be 7,000 – 47,000 times sweeter than saccharose and 70-120 times that of aspartame.1 Further, the substance has flavour-enhancing properties..5

Based on the opinions of the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), DG SANCO must prepare a regulatory proposal for authorisation of the new sweetener – in the form of an alteration of Appendix II of regulation 1333/2008, including a list of the maximum dosage amount per food category. The regulatory proposal will then be submitted to the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCFCAH) for opinion, then to the European Parliament for review and finally to the Commission for final approval. The final adoption is expected to come in spring of 2014.

According to an EFSA report, Advantam and its metabolites contain no safety risk for consumers in the intended areas of use with the intended amounts, as it is hardly absorbed by humans.1 In the USA, Advantam is classified “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS).  667 mg/kg per day is the determined NOEL.4

Toxicological studies will be carried out as part of the approval process as a food additive.1 2 Further, an opinion from the ESFA is available.3

The EFSA regards Advantam as safe for human consumption. The ADI value was determined by the EFSA at 5 mg/kg of body weight per day, in which a safety factor of 100 was considered.9 Approval within the EU is expected in 2014/2015.

Due to its very high sweetening power, dosages are in the ppt zone, which presents a great technological challenge, as suitable methods must be found in order to distribute the sweetener uniformly throughout the food. This will be relatively easy for liquid products and infusions; it will be more difficult with pastes or solid foods.

Advantam has already been approved for use in food in Australia and New Zealand, especially in non-alcoholic beverages, chewing gum, dairy products, table sweeteners (solid and liquid) as well as in frozen dairy products. This requires smaller amounts than other sweeteners. 1 2

Advantam has been used as a flavour enhancer in the USA since 2010. Whether or not Advantam will also receive approval as a sweetener in the USA is currently under review.

Depending upon the food and the purpose, different amounts are used. The range from a maximum of 6 mg/L for fruit or vegetables marinated in vinegar and oil to regulate sweetness and 3 mg/L for reduced-calorie broths and soups to over 20 mg/kg for marmalades and jams and 400 mg/kg for sugar-free chewing hum and up to 800 mg/kg for table sweeteners in powder form.

Regarding analysis, not much needs to be adjusted, as the chemical structure allows the sweetener to be analysed with methods currently used for sweeteners. Solid table sweeteners and soft drink mixes in powdered form are dissolved and then directly investigated, while carbonated beverages must first be degassed. 

Advantam in doughs, baked goods and dairy products is extracted through a suitable solvent, then the extract is filtered before purification via cationic solid phase extraction. In chewing gums, Advantam is extracted with toluene and then investigated directly. In all cases, the HPLC with UV detector is used at the end.9

 

Chemical and physical properties:     

white to yellow coloured powder

odourless

Melting point: 99.3-101.5 °C

Solubility: 0,99 g/L in water (25 °C)

specific torsion angle: -45° to -38°

Calorific value (calculated): 1613 kJ (385 kcal)/100 g

Stability: stable as powder, while Advantam dissolves in aqueous systems. At 25 °C and 60 % humidity, 60 % of the starting quantity was still present after 20 weeks. Stability sinks with lower pH values.4