The growing use of blends of aspartame with other sweeteners in Europe and elsewhere has allowed customers to reduce sweetening costs without any appreciable loss of quality. Most diet soft drink bottlers, certainly those in the EU, Canada, and increasingly those in the United States have now switched from 100% aspartame to blends of aspartame and acesulfame K for their second ranking brands, and some top line brands. In the future, we can expect to see increased quantities of aspartame destined for the confectionery and dairy industries, and we may even see lower priced aspartame making gains from saccharin in certain pharmaceutical applications. 

The intake of beverages has changed dramatically over the past few decades, coinciding with an increased prevalence of obesity. Intakes of soft drinks, colas, other sweetened carbonated beverages, and fruit drinks with added sugar have increased dramatically, especially among youth, whereas the intake of milk has declined. Detrimental effect linked with consumption of excess sugar or artificial sweeteners, have led consumers to shift interests toward functional beverages. Incorporating botanical herbs, along with therapeutic properties has laid down a better roadmap for manufacturers to target the “desire for natural products” among consumers.