What is neotame?
Neotame is a synthetic sweetener that is an amino acid derivative. This means that it is made up of amino acids that occur naturally in many protein-containing foods such as meat, dairy products and vegetables. Neotame was developed by French scientists Claude Nofre and Jean-Marie Tinti in collaboration with the company NutraSweet and has been approved in the EU since 2010. It bears the E number E 961.
Neotame is a derivative of aspartame, another synthetic sweetener that was discovered in the mid-1960s. However, neotame has a much higher sweetening power than aspartame: depending on the concentration, it is around 7,000 to 13,000 times sweeter than sucrose (household sugar). This means that only very small amounts of neotame are needed to create a sweet taste.
In addition to its sweetening power, neotame also has a flavor-enhancing effect. This means that it can enhance or improve the taste of other foods. For example, it can soften the bitter taste of caffeine or the sour taste of lemon juice.
How is neotame produced?
Neotame is produced by a chemical reaction of aspartame and 3,3-dimethylbutyraldehyde. In this process, aspartame forms an imine with the aldehyde, which is reduced with hydrogen at a palladium contact. The yield of this reaction is around 65%.
What are the advantages of neotame?
Neotame has several advantages as a sweetener and flavor enhancer:
- It has a pure, sucrose-like flavor with no metallic or bitter notes.
- It has no effect on blood sugar and insulin levels in the blood plasma and can therefore also be used by diabetics or people with a sugar intolerance.
- It is more stable than aspartame when heated in the neutral pH range and can therefore also be used in baked goods or other heated foods.
- It contains no calories and does not contribute to tooth decay.
- It can be used in very small quantities, which saves costs and protects the environment.
What are the disadvantages of Neotame?
Neotame also has some disadvantages or limitations as a sweetener and flavor enhancer:
- It is not approved in all countries and must therefore be labeled accordingly.
- It decomposes slowly under aqueous conditions through hydrolysis (splitting). This means that it loses its sweetening power if it is dissolved in liquids for a longer period of time.
- It can trigger allergic reactions or intolerances in some people who are sensitive to amino acids.
- It can alter or mask the taste of other foods if dosed too high.
How does Neotame affect dogs?
Dogs have a different sense of taste to humans. They cannot taste sweets as well as we can and therefore have no need for sweeteners. In addition, they cannot tolerate some sweeteners well or can even be poisoned. This applies, for example, to xylitol, a natural sweetener found in many sugar-free foods. Xylitol can lead to a sharp drop in blood sugar levels and liver failure in dogs.
Neotame is not toxic to dogs as it is used in very small amounts and hardly enters the bloodstream. It also has no effect on blood sugar or insulin levels in dogs. However, Neotame also has no benefit for dogs as they cannot perceive its sweet taste. It is therefore pointless to give dogs food with neotame or to offer them neotame as a flavor enhancer.
