The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has approved aspartame-acesulfame salt for use after a re-evaluation of the sweetener.
The evaluating panel found no safety concerns around the sweetener, either in its combined form or from its individual components, at current population-wide levels of exposure.
The decision is based on the previously established acceptable daily intake (ADI) for aspartame of 40 mg/kg body weight per day, and the recently revised ADI of acesulfame K of 15 mg/kg body weight per day for acesulfame.
The panel recommended that EU specifications for aspartame-acesulfame salt should be updated to ensure that it is produced in line with specifications for aspartame and acesulfame K. It is not currently specified that aspartame-acesulfame salt has to comply with these specifications.
Specifications on the limits for arsenic and lead in aspartame should also be re-evaluated.
What is aspartame-acesulfame salt?
Aspartame-acesulfame salt is an artificial sweetener that contains ionically bonded aspartame and acesulfame.
The additive contains 64% aspartame and 36% acesulfame on a weight basis, according to the International Sweeteners Association (ISA), and is around 350 times sweeter than sugar.
It is found in a variety of sugar-free and energy reduced foods and beverages, as well as chewing gum.
According to ISA, the sweetener dissociates (breaks down into two smaller parts) upon consumption. While aspartame is digested and metabolised by the body, acesulfame is not metabolised but excreted by the kidney.
For this reason, EFSA’s safety assessment looked at acesulfame K and aspartame separately. Following this investigation, no safety issues were found for either.
