Sweet or sour? A review of the Aspartame market landscape, carcinogenicity, and its socioeconomic impact

Artificial sweeteners with almost zero calories are in high demand in the food and beverage industries due to an increase in diabetes and obesity cases throughout the globe. They vary in their chemical structures and sweetness intensity. The health concerns linked to the consumption of these additives have always been a matter of heated debate. Aspartame being 200 times sweeter than sucrose is one of the most commonly used artificial sweeteners worldwide, capturing a huge market size. India is projected to be the largest market for such additives in the Asia–Pacific region, with many multinational giants investing in the country. There has been an equal number of researches that support as well as reject this claim in recent years. Several studies on Aspartame and its metabolic by-products like diketopiperazine carcinogenicity and a recent declaration of Aspartame as a possible carcinogen to human beings the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has put aspartame consumption into reconsideration. This bitterness added to the sweetness of Aspartame is also going to impact the market of aspartame and artificial sweeteners. The review highlights the carcinogenic and other health-deteriorating aspects of aspartame along with the possible socio-economic impact of recent findings on the market.

Graphical abstract