Aspartame giant Ajinomoto has raised the stakes in the battle of the high intensity sweeteners with the publication of a study suggesting that consumers prefer the taste of aspartame to sucralose.
A test, conducted in doubled blinded conditions with 214 female diet cola drinkers in the UK, revealed that the women preferred colas sweetened with aspartame by a margin of 61:39 compared to sucralose. The cola with aspartame also outperformed its rival on all sensory criteria.
Several manufacturers and retailers have banned aspartame from their ranges, even though the European Food Safety Authority has given it the all clear. Tate & Lyle has also cashed in on consumer distrust of aspartame in recent sucralose ad campaigns.
