Editing Sugar substitute (section)

===Aspartame ===
{{Main|Aspartame}}
Aspartame was discovered in 1965 by James M. Schlatter at the [[G.D. Searle]] company. He was working on an anti-ulcer drug and accidentally spilled some aspartame on his hand. When he licked his finger, he noticed that it had a sweet taste. [[Torunn Atteraas Garin]] oversaw the development of aspartame as an artificial sweetener. It is an odorless, white crystalline powder that is derived from the two amino acids [[aspartic acid]] and [[phenylalanine]]. It is about 180–200 times sweeter than sugar,<ref name=fsa/><ref name=efsa2010/> and can be used as a tabletop sweetener or in frozen desserts, gelatins, [[beverage]]s and [[chewing gum]]. When cooked or stored at high temperatures, aspartame breaks down into its constituent amino acids. This makes aspartame undesirable as a baking sweetener. It is more stable in somewhat acidic conditions, such as in soft drinks. Though it does not have a bitter aftertaste like saccharin, it may not taste exactly like sugar. When eaten, aspartame is metabolized into its original [[amino acid]]s. Because it is so intensely sweet, relatively little of it is needed to sweeten a food product, and is thus useful for reducing the number of calories in a product.

The safety of aspartame has been studied extensively since its discovery with research that includes animal studies, clinical and epidemiological research, and postmarketing surveillance,<ref name=EFSAExperts>{{cite journal | last = EFSA National Experts | title = Report of the meetings on aspartame with national experts | journal = EFSA Supporting Publications | volume = 7 | issue = 5 |date = May 2010| doi = 10.2903/sp.efsa.2010.ZN-002}}</ref> with aspartame being a rigorously tested food ingredient.<ref>{{Cite book | vauthors = Mitchell H | title = Sweeteners and sugar alternatives in food technology | place = Oxford, UK | publisher = Wiley-Blackwell | year = 2006 | page = 94| isbn = 978-1-4051-3434-7}}</ref> Although aspartame has been subject to [[Aspartame controversy|claims against its safety]],<ref name=Magnuson/> multiple authoritative reviews have found it to be safe for consumption at typical levels used in food manufacturing.<ref name=EFSAExperts/><ref name=Magnuson>{{cite journal |vauthors=Magnuson BA, Burdock GA, Doull J, Kroes RM, Marsh GM, Pariza MW, Spencer PS, Waddell WJ, Walker R, Williams GM | title = Aspartame: a safety evaluation based on current use levels, regulations, and toxicological and epidemiological studies | journal = Crit. Rev. Toxicol. | volume = 37 | issue = 8 | pages = 629–727 | year = 2007 | pmid = 17828671 | doi = 10.1080/10408440701516184 | s2cid = 7316097 }}</ref><ref name=FSANZ2>{{cite web|url=http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/consumers/chemicals-nutrients-additives-and-toxins/aspartame/ |title=Food Standards Australia New Zealand: Aspartame – what it is and why it's used in our food |access-date=9 December 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014010341/http://nzfsa.govt.nz/consumers/chemicals-nutrients-additives-and-toxins/aspartame/ |archive-date=14 October 2008 }}</ref><ref name=Butchko>{{cite journal |vauthors=Butchko HH, Stargel WW, Comer CP, Mayhew DA, Benninger C, Blackburn GL, de Sonneville LM, Geha RS, Hertelendy Z, Koestner A, Leon AS, Liepa GU, McMartin KE, Mendenhall CL, Munro IC, Novotny EJ, Renwick AG, Schiffman SS, Schomer DL, Shaywitz BA, Spiers PA, Tephly TR, Thomas JA, Trefz FK | title = Aspartame: review of safety | journal = Regul. Toxicol. Pharmacol. | volume = 35 | issue = 2 Pt 2 | pages = S1–93 | date = April 2002 | pmid = 12180494 | doi = 10.1006/rtph.2002.1542 }}</ref> Aspartame has been deemed safe for human consumption by over 100 regulatory agencies in their respective countries,<ref name=Butchko/> including the UK [[Food Standards Agency]],<ref name="fsa">{{cite web | title = Aspartame | publisher = UK FSA | date = 17 June 2008 | url = http://www.food.gov.uk/safereating/chemsafe/additivesbranch/sweeteners/55174#h_2 | access-date = 23 September 2010 | archive-date = 21 February 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120221223646/http://www.food.gov.uk/safereating/chemsafe/additivesbranch/sweeteners/55174#h_2 | url-status = dead }}</ref> the [[European Food Safety Authority]] (EFSA),<ref name="efsa2010">{{cite web | title = Aspartame | publisher = EFSA | url = https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/aspartame | access-date = 23 September 2010 | archive-date = 10 March 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110310160411/https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/aspartame | url-status = live }}</ref> and [[Health Canada]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Aspartame | publisher = Health Canada | url = http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/addit/sweeten-edulcor/aspartame-eng.php | access-date = 23 September 2010 | date = 5 November 2002 | archive-date = 22 September 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100922181732/http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/addit/sweeten-edulcor/aspartame-eng.php | url-status = live }}</ref>