NutraSweet May Soon Show Up in Baked Goods, Home Mixes

The NutraSweet Co. has developed a time-release coating that should permit the use of the artificial sweetener aspartame for baking, a company official says.

The Food and Drug Administration has long approved general use of the sweetener, sold under the trade name NutraSweet, but an FDA spokesman Thursday said it was ruled unacceptable for baking because it breaks down under extreme heat.

However, the manufacturer asked FDA permission to expand its use after developing a coating that protects the low-calorie sweetener at high oven temperatures, NutraSweet Chairman Robert B. Shapiro said.

“We have the technology for baking, and we have shown that it works,” he said from the company’s Skokie, Ill., headquarters.

If the FDA approves, NutraSweet will be sold for use in commercially prepared baked goods and in mixes for home baking, Shapiro said.

An FDA official who spoke only on condition he not be identified said the agency could not reveal its decision until an approval notice is printed in the Federal Register.