Neotame is a high-intensity sweetener and flavor enhancer widely used in food, beverage, dietary supplement, oral care, pharmaceutical, feed, and specialty formulation applications. It is valued for its extremely high sweetness intensity, clean sweet taste, low use level, and ability to improve flavor balance in formulations requiring sugar reduction, taste optimization, or palatability enhancement.
Neotame is a derivative of aspartame and belongs to the dipeptide-based high-intensity sweetener family. It is commonly used in products where strong sweetness, low-calorie positioning, flavor enhancement, or improved taste masking is desired. Because of its high potency, only very small amounts are typically required in finished formulations.
Key Product Information
| Attribute | Description |
| Product Name | Neotame |
| Chemical Name | N-[N-(3,3-Dimethylbutyl)-L-α-aspartyl]-L-phenylalanine 1-methyl ester |
| Synonyms | Neotame, Newtame, NTM |
| CAS Number | 165450-17-9 |
| E Number | E961 |
| Molecular Formula | C20H30N2O5 |
| Molecular Weight | 378.46 g/mol |
| Appearance | White to off-white crystalline powder, depending on specification |
| Main Components | Neotame |
| Main Function | High-intensity sweetener, flavor enhancer, taste modifier, sugar-reduction ingredient, palatability enhancer |
| Typical Use Areas | Food, beverages, dietary supplements, oral care, pharmaceutical formulations, feed, tabletop sweeteners, flavor systems, and specialty formulations |
PubChem identifies Neotame with molecular formula C20H30N2O5. The U.S. FDA lists Neotame among FDA-approved high-intensity sweeteners and notes that it was approved in 2002 as a general-purpose sweetener and flavor enhancer in foods, except meat and poultry, under certain conditions of use. EFSA identifies Neotame as food additive E961 and concluded in its 2025 re-evaluation that there is no safety concern at currently permitted and reported uses and use levels.
Key Features
| Feature | Benefit |
| High-intensity sweetness | Provides strong sweetness at very low dosage levels |
| Low-calorie sweetening option | Useful for sugar-reduced, no-added-sugar, and calorie-conscious formulations |
| Flavor-enhancing ability | Helps improve overall taste profile and sweetness perception |
| Taste-masking potential | Can help reduce bitterness or undesirable notes from functional ingredients |
| Good formulation efficiency | Low use level reduces ingredient load in finished products |
| Broad application potential | Suitable for food, beverages, supplements, oral care, pharmaceutical, feed, and specialty systems |
| Customizable specifications | Can be supplied according to purity, particle size, grade, packaging, and customer requirements |
Typical Applications
Food and Beverage
Neotame can be used in suitable food and beverage applications where high-intensity sweetness, sugar reduction, flavor enhancement, or calorie-conscious formulation is desired. It may be suitable for powdered beverages, carbonated drinks, flavored waters, dairy-style products, confectionery, bakery products, desserts, jams, sauces, tabletop sweeteners, and functional foods, subject to local food additive regulations.
Dietary Supplements and Nutraceuticals
Neotame is suitable for tablets, chewables, gummies, drink powders, effervescent tablets, granules, oral liquids, sachets, and nutrition blends. It can help improve the palatability of formulations containing bitter botanical extracts, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, probiotics, proteins, or other functional ingredients.
Flavor Systems and Taste Optimization
Neotame can be used as part of flavor systems where sweetness enhancement, flavor rounding, aftertaste improvement, or bitterness masking is required. It is especially useful in formulations where a high sweetness level is needed without adding significant sugar, calories, or bulk.
Pharmaceutical and Oral Dosage Formulations
Neotame may be used in pharmaceutical formulation development where taste masking and patient acceptability are important. It may be suitable for syrups, suspensions, chewable tablets, lozenges, oral powders, granules, and other oral dosage forms, depending on local regulatory and pharmacopeial requirements.
Oral Care Products
Neotame can be used in oral care products such as toothpaste, mouthwash, breath fresheners, oral strips, lozenges, and chewable products where sweetness and flavor balance are desired. It can help improve the sensory profile of products containing strong flavors, essential oils, or active ingredients.
Animal Nutrition and Feed Applications
Neotame may be used in feed and animal nutrition formulations where sweetness, palatability enhancement, or taste improvement is desired, subject to local feed regulations and species-specific approval. It may be useful in premixes, complementary feeds, young animal nutrition, pet products, and specialty feed systems where improved acceptance is required.
Formulation Benefits
Neotame provides a useful combination of strong sweetness, low dosage efficiency, and taste-improving performance. It is especially suitable for:
Sugar-reduced and low-calorie food and beverage products.
Functional drinks and nutrition powders requiring strong sweetness.
Dietary supplements containing bitter or taste-challenging ingredients.
Chewable tablets, gummies, effervescent tablets, and oral liquids.
Pharmaceutical oral dosage forms requiring taste masking.
Oral care products requiring sweetness and flavor balance.
Feed and pet nutrition products requiring palatability support.
Flavor systems where sweetness enhancement and taste optimization are required.
Regulatory Note
The permitted use of Neotame depends on the destination market, product grade, purity, manufacturing process, intended application, dosage level, target species for feed use, and final product claims. For food, beverage, supplement, feed, oral care, pharmaceutical, or industrial use, customers should confirm local regulatory status, approved application scope, maximum use levels, labeling requirements, safety data, and claim restrictions before commercialization.
In the United States, the FDA approves Neotame as a high-intensity sweetener and flavor enhancer for general food use except meat and poultry, under specified conditions. In the European Union, Neotame is identified as food additive E961, and EFSA completed a re-evaluation concluding no safety concern at currently permitted and reported uses and use levels. Customers should still confirm the latest local requirements before use because additive permissions, product categories, and maximum use levels vary by market.
The presence of a chemical name, CAS number, E number, or database listing does not automatically mean that Neotame is approved for every use or every market. Customers should review the product COA, specification, Safety Data Sheet, and applicable local regulations before use.
Packaging and Storage
Store Neotame in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated area. Keep the container tightly closed after opening. Protect from moisture, heat, direct sunlight, strong oxidizing agents, strong acids, strong bases, strong odors, and incompatible materials. Use appropriate protective equipment and follow the product label, COA, and Safety Data Sheet during handling.
Suggested Short Listing Copy
Neotame is a high-intensity sweetener and flavor enhancer used in food, beverages, dietary supplements, oral care, pharmaceutical formulations, feed, and specialty flavor systems. It provides strong sweetness at very low use levels and is suitable for sugar-reduced, low-calorie, taste-masking, and palatability-improvement applications. With its excellent sweetening efficiency and broad formulation potential, Neotame is a practical ingredient for manufacturers seeking reliable taste optimization in finished products.
Conclusion
Neotame is a versatile high-intensity sweetener for manufacturers seeking strong sweetness, low dosage efficiency, and improved flavor performance. Its clean sweet profile, flavor-enhancing function, and broad application flexibility make it suitable for food, beverage, supplement, oral care, pharmaceutical, feed, and specialty formulation development. Overall, Neotame is a reliable choice for product developers requiring an efficient sweetener and taste-modifying ingredient for modern sugar-reduction and palatability-focused products.
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