Alitame is an artifical sweetener developed by Pfizer in the 1980s and is currently marketed in some countries under the brand name Aclame. Alitame is a dipeptide, like aspartame, synthesized from aspartic acid and a modified form of alanine which contains a sulfur group. Dipeptides are normally not sweet but the discovery of aspartame in 1965 led to a search for compounds with similar taste.

Alitame has several distinct advantages over aspartame. It is about 2000 times sweeter than sucrose, about 10 times sweeter than aspartame, and has no aftertaste. Additionally, it does not break down when heated or stored for prolonged periods of time. Alitame does not contain phenylalanine and would therefore not be a risk to people with phenylketonuria.

The FDA has not yet approved alitame for sale in the United States as of 2005, but it is sold in Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and China.

References

Ellis, J.W. 1995. Overview of sweeteners. J. Chem. Educ. 72: pp. 671-675.