E969 - Advantame

At a glance

Advantame is a powerful sweetener that helps foods taste sweet with little to no sugar added.

• What it is: a high‑intensity sweetener and flavor enhancer used at very low levels. It is about 20,000 times sweeter than table sugar (sucrose).¹
• Legal status: in the United States, it is authorized as a general‑purpose sweetener and flavor enhancer, except in meat and poultry.² In the European Union (EU), it is listed as additive E969.³
• Safety limit: the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) set an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI, the amount considered safe to consume each day over a lifetime) of 5 mg per kilogram of body weight per day.⁴
• Where it appears: diet or “zero” soft drinks, flavored waters, chewing gum, tabletop sweeteners, dairy desserts, and many other reduced‑sugar foods.

Why is Advantame added to food?

Food makers use advantame to deliver strong sweetness without adding much volume or calories. It also functions as a flavor enhancer in some recipes to round off taste notes.² Because it is extremely sweet, manufacturers often blend it with other sweeteners—such as acesulfame K, sucralose, aspartame, neotame, steviol glycosides, or saccharin—to build a more sugar‑like flavor and reduce any aftertaste.

What foods contain Advantame?

You’ll most often find advantame in low‑ and no‑sugar products.

• Diet and “zero” soft drinks, flavored waters, and powdered drink mixes
• Chewing gum, mints, and breath fresheners
• Tabletop sweetener packets and tablets
• Dairy desserts (puddings, ice‑cream‑style desserts), yogurts, and protein drinks
• Baked goods, baking mixes, and frostings
• Sugar‑free syrups, sauces, and confections

In the United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorizes advantame as a general‑purpose sweetener and flavor enhancer, which enables its use across many categories (except meat and poultry).⁵

What can replace Advantame?

There are many alternatives, depending on taste, cost, and processing needs.

• Other high‑intensity sweeteners: acesulfame K, sucralose, aspartame, neotame, steviol glycosides, saccharin
• Sugar alcohols (polyols) for bulk and mild sweetness: erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol, maltitol
• Blends that pair a high‑intensity sweetener with a polyol to better mimic sugar’s taste and texture

How is Advantame made?

Advantame is produced by chemically modifying aspartame. In brief, manufacturers react aspartame with a specific aromatic aldehyde (3‑(3‑hydroxy‑4‑methoxyphenyl)propanal) using a reductive amination process, then purify and crystallize the product to food‑grade specifications.⁴ This change makes the molecule much sweeter than aspartame, so only trace amounts are needed.

Is Advantame safe to eat?

Regulators have reviewed advantame’s safety before allowing it on the market. In the U.S., FDA evaluated toxicology, metabolism, and exposure data and issued a 2014 final rule permitting advantame as a sweetener and flavor enhancer in foods (with the usual exception for meat and poultry).[^^5] EFSA also evaluated the data set and set an ADI to ensure safe lifetime intake.⁴

Does Advantame have any benefits?

Advantame lets manufacturers cut added sugar while keeping sweetness. Because it is so potent, it contributes virtually no calories at typical use levels. It also blends well with other sweeteners, which helps product developers fine‑tune taste.

Who should avoid Advantame?

Most people can consume advantame within approved uses. People with phenylketonuria (PKU, a condition that requires managing the amino acid phenylalanine) often ask about sweeteners related to aspartame. FDA does not require a phenylalanine warning statement for advantame, because the phenylalanine contribution at approved use levels is negligible.¹ If you have PKU or any medical dietary restriction, ask a healthcare professional for personal advice.

Myths & facts

• Myth: “Advantame isn’t approved anywhere.” Fact: It is authorized in the EU as food additive E969.³
• Myth: “Advantame adds the same calories as sugar.” Fact: It is used in tiny amounts and adds essentially no calories in practice.
• Myth: “Advantame is just aspartame.” Fact: While related, it is a different molecule engineered to be far sweeter and used at much lower levels.

Advantame in branded foods

You can spot advantame by reading ingredient lists. In the U.S., it appears as “advantame.” In the EU, look for “E969” or “advantame.” It often appears alongside other sweeteners, and sometimes as part of a blend in tabletop packets. If you’re tracking your intake, check labels on diet soft drinks, sugar‑free gums, dessert mixes, and reduced‑sugar dairy products.

References

Footnotes

1. Additional Information about High-Intensity Sweeteners Permitted for Use in Food in the United States — U.S. FDA. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/additional-information-about-high-intensity-sweeteners-permitted-use-food-united-states ↩ ↩²

2. 21 CFR 172.803 Advantame — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-172/subpart-C/section-172.803 ↩ ↩²

3. Commission Regulation (EU) No 497/2014 of 14 May 2014 amending Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 as regards the use of advantame as a sweetener — EUR-Lex. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2014/497/oj ↩ ↩²

4. Scientific Opinion on the safety of advantame for the proposed uses as a sweetener and flavour enhancer — EFSA Journal 2013;11(7):3301. https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/3301 ↩ ↩² ↩³

5. Food additives permitted for direct addition to food for human consumption; advantame — Final rule, 79 FR 28693 (May 19, 2014) — Federal Register. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2014/05/19/2014-11457/food-additives-permitted-for-direct-addition-to-food-for-human-consumption-advantame ↩