Neotame proposed as 'bitter blocker' for functional foods
Recently approved under the EU sweeteners directive, neotame could be used to mask the strong taste of vitamins and minerals in functional foods - as well as more traditional uses in sweet foods, according to its European distributor.
Neotame is said to be around 8000 times sweeter than sugar and 30 to 60 times sweeter than aspartame (depending on the application), but to have a sugar-like taste and no calories.
The approval was published in the Official Journal of the EU on 23 December 2009 as an amendment to directive 94/35/EC. Given its intensity, neotame is expected to be used in combination with other sweeteners, including ace-k, aspartame, cyclamate, sucralose and saccharine.
