Neotame is a dipeptide made up of the amino acids aspartic acid and phenylalanine, and other amino acids. It has a sweetness of 7,000–13,000 times to that sugar and 30–60 times that of aspartame. It’s made by The NutraSweet Co., based in Mt. Prospect, Illinois, which developed the noncaloric sweetener aspartame.
It comprises no calories and has a clean, soft, sugar-like flavor with no off-putting flavors. It can be used individually or in combination with other high-intensity or carbohydrate sweeteners in many beverages and foods. It is effective in dry conditions, has similar stability in ionic food systems to aspartame, and is much more stable in neutral pH conditions than aspartame (e.g., baking and yogurt).
Numerous safety tests have concluded that it is safe for use by the general public, including children, pregnant women, and people with diabetes. Moreover, since the product is not metabolized to phenylalanine, no need for special labeling for people who have phenylketonuria (PKU). In Australia and New Zealand, neotame has been licensed for general use as a sweetener and flavor enhancer. It is currently under review in the United States and other nations.