If you know me at all, you know that I’m an advocate for whole, unprocessed foods.  However, many of us inevitably turn to packaged or processed foods when we are short on time.  Maybe we grab a frozen dinner or pizza for a quick dinner for our family.  Maybe we grab a quick nutrition bar to satiate our hunger until we can sit down for a real meal.  Or maybe, we just don’t like to cook.  Whether we like it or not, packaged and processed food has become a huge part of our food industry and, as a result, a part of many of our diets.

Although there are some brands that I hugely advocate for, there are many more that border on outright unhealthy and “scary.”  Many packaged foods that seem healthy often contain fillers, preservatives and other ingredients you don’t want in your diet. It is always preferable to choose products that have only a handful of ingredients, all of which should be recognizable.  One test to know whether an ingredient is healthy is to ask yourself whether your grandmother would recognize it.  If not, there is a good chance the ingredient is less natural food and more man-made chemical.  Another good test is whether or not you can easily pronounce the ingredient.  If you feel like you need a science degree to pronounce it properly, chances are the ingredient is worth avoiding.

If you do have to resort to a processed food for a snack or dinner (anything canned, packaged, etc.), try to avoid those that contain the ingredients listed in the following chart.  Although this isn’t an exhaustive list, these ingredients are some of the most highly processed and least healthy of all:

Have you checked your ingredient lists recently? Do they contain any of the above? Have you tried cutting some of these ingredients out?

This is an original article that I just had to re-post.. Hope you enjoy it..if not..get a clue!

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener used in reduced calorie foods. It is
derived primarily from two naturally occurring amino acids chemically combined
and designated by the chemical name N-L-aaspartyl-L-phenylalanine-l-methyl ester
(APM). Discovered inadvertently in 1965, it was later patented and is currently
the most utilized artificial sweetener in the United States. 

Aspartame is a white, odorless, crystalline powder. It is about 200 times
sweeter than sugar and is readily dissolvable in water. It has a sweet taste
without the bitter chemical or metallic aftertaste reported in other artificial
sweeteners. These properties make it a good ingredient to use as a sugar
replacement in many food recipes. However, aspartame does tend to interact with
other food flavors, so it cannot perfectly replace sugar. Recipes for baked
goods, candies, and other products must be modified if aspartame is utilized.
Although aspartame can be used in microwave recipes, it is sensitive to
extensive heating, which makes it unsuitable for baking. 

The fact that aspartame provides sweetness and flavor without imparting other
physical characteristics such as bulk or calories like other sweeteners makes it
unique. Another useful trait is that it has a synergistic effect with other
sweeteners, making it possible to use less total sweetener. In addition to
sweetening foods, aspartame is used to reduce calories, and intensify and extend
fruit flavors. 

History 

Humans have desired foods with a sweet taste for thousands of years. Ancient
cave paintings at Arana in Spain show a neolithic man taking honey from a wild
bee's nest. It has been suggested that early humans might have used the sweet
taste of foods to tell them which ones would be safe to eat. It is even thought
that the desire for sweet taste might be an innate human trait. Unfortunately,
many of the foods that are naturally sweet contain relatively large amounts of
calories and carbohydrates. 

Alternative sweeteners were developed to provide the sweet taste without the
unnecessary calories. They also provide the additional benefits of enhancing the
palatability of pharmaceuticals, aiding in the management of diabetes, and
providing a cost-effective source where sugar is not available. The first one,
saccharin, was discovered in 1879 and has been used in products such as
toothpaste, mouthwash, and sugarless gum. 

The sugarlike taste of aspartame was discovered accidentally by James Schlatter,
an American drug researcher at G.D. Searle and Co. in 1965. While working on an
antiulcer drug, he inadvertently spilled some APM on his hand. Figuring that the
material was not toxic, he went about his work without washing it off. He
discovered APM's sweet taste when he licked his finger to pick up a piece of
weighing paper. This initial breakthrough then led the company to screen
hundreds of modified versions of APM. However, none of these materials offered
all of the advantages found in the original compound, including economical
manufacturing, excellent taste quality and potency, natural metabolic pathways
for digestion, excellent stability, and very low toxicity. Consequently, the
company pursued and was granted United States patent 3,492,131 and various
international patents, and the initial discovery was commercialized. The U.S.
patent expired in 1992, and the technology is now available to any company who
wants to use it. 

After many years of toxicity testing, the FDA initially approved aspartame's use
as a sweetener in 1980. However, a hallmark of synthetic chemicals used in food
products is that their safety is under constant scrutiny. Aspartame is no
exception and has been surrounded by some controversy concerning its safety
since its introduction. Most of these concerns were put to rest in late 1984,
when after investigating various aspartame-related complaints, the FDA and the
Centers for Disease Control concluded that the substance is safe and does not
represent a widespread health risk. This conclusion was further supported by the
American Medical Association in 1985, and aspartame has been gaining market
share ever since. In addition to its use in the United States, aspartame has
also been approved for use in over 93 foreign countries. 

Aspartame has been marketed since 1983 by Searle under the brand names
NutraSweet' and Equal'. Currently, NutraSweet' is a very popular ingredient and
is used in more than 4,000 products, including chewing gum, yogurt, diet soft
drinks, fruit-juices, puddings, cereals, and powdered beverage mixes. In the
U.S. alone, NutraSweet®'s sales topped $705 million in 1993, according to the
company. 

Raw Materials 

Aspartame is primarily derived from compounds called amino acids. These are
chemicals which are used by plants and animals to create proteins that are
essential for life. Of the 20 naturally occurring amino acids, two of them,
aspartic acid and phenylalanine, are used in the manufacture of aspartame. 

All amino acids molecules have some common characteristics. They are composed of
an amino group, a carboxyl group, and a side chain. The chemical nature of the
side chain is what differentiates the various amino acids. Another
characteristic of amino acids is the ability to form different molecular
configurations known as isomers. These isomers are designated by the letters L
and D. Aspartame is composed of only L, L isomers; none of the other isomer
combinations taste sweet. The sweet taste of aspartame could not have been
predicted by looking at the two amino acids that it is derived from. L-aspartic
acid has a flat taste and L-phenylalanine tastes bitter. However, when the two
compounds are chemically combined and the L-phenylalanine is slightly modified,
a sweet taste is achieved. 

Aspartic acid is one of five amino acids that have a "charged" side group. The
charged side group on aspartic acid is (-CH 2 -COOH). When put in water, this
material ionizes and becomes negatively charged. Phenylalanine has a nonpolar,
hydrophobic side group which is not compatible with water. It is made up of a
six carbon ring and is attached to the main amino acid backbone via a methyl
(-CH 2 ) group. Prior to synthesis into aspartame, it is reacted with methanol.
This adds a methyl group which is linked to the molecule by an oxygen, and the
compound is converted to a methyl ester. The methanol required for the synthesis
of aspartame has the chemical structure (CH 3 -OH). This is a very common
material and is used extensively by organic chemists for various chemical
syntheses. 

The Manufacturing
Process 

Although its components—aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol—occur
naturally in foods, aspartame itself does not and must be manufactured.
NutraSweet' (aspartame) is made through fermentation and synthesis processes. 

Fermentation 

Direct fermentation produces the starting amino acids needed for the manufacture
of aspartame. In this process, specific types of bacteria which have the ability
to produce certain amino acids are raised in large quantities. Over the course
of about three days, the amino acids are harvested and the bacteria are
destroyed. 

1 To start the fermentation process, a sample from a pure culture of bacteria is
put into a test tube containing the nutrients necessary for its growth. After
this initial inoculation the bacteria begin to multiply. When their population
is large enough, they are transferred to a seed tank. The bacterial 

strains used to make L-aspartic acid and L-phenylalanine are B. flavum and C.
glutamicum respectively.
2 The seed tank provides an ideal environment for growing more bacteria. It is
filled with the things bacteria need to thrive, including warm water and
carbohydrate foods like cane molasses, glucose, or sucrose. It also has carbon
sources like acetic acid, alcohols or hydrocarbons, and nitrogen sources such as
liquid ammonia or urea. These are required for the bacteria to synthesize large
quantities of the desired amino acid. Other growth factors such as vitamins,
amino acids, and minor nutrients round out seed tank contents. The seed tank is
equipped with a mixer, which keeps the growth medium moving, and a pump, which
delivers filtered, compressed air. When enough bacterial growth is present, the
contents from the seed tank are pumped to the fermentation tank.
3 The fermentation tank is essentially a larger version of the seed tank. It is
filled with the same growth media found in the seed tank and also provides a
perfect environment for bacterial growth. Here the bacteria are allowed to grow
and produce large quantities of amino acids. Since pH control is vital for
optimal growth, ammonia water is added to the tank as necessary.
4 When enough amino acid is present, the contents of the fermentation tank are
transferred out so isolation can begin. This process starts with a centrifugal
separator, which isolates a large portion of the bacterial amino acids. The
desired amino acid is further segregated and purified in an ion-exchange column.
From this column, the amino acids are pumped to a crystallizing tank and then to
a crystal separator. They are then dried and readied for the synthesis phase of
aspartame production.
Synthesis 

Aspartame can be made by various synthetic chemical pathways. In general,
phenylalanine is modified by a reaction with methanol and then combined with a
slightly modified aspartic acid which eventually forms aspartame. 

5 The amino acids derived from the fermentation process are initially modified
to produce aspartame. Phenylalanine is reacted with methanol resulting in a
compound called L-phenylalanine methyl ester. Aspartic acid is also modified in
such a way to shield various portions of the molecule from the effects of
further reactions. One method is by reacting the aspartic acid with substances
that result in added benzyl rings to protect these sites. This ensures that
further chemical reactions will occur only on specific parts of the aspartic
acid molecule.
6 After the amino acids are appropriately modified, they are pumped into a
reactor tank, where they are allowed to mix at room temperature for 24 hours.
The temperature 

is then increased to approximately 149°F (65 °C) and maintained for another 24
hours. The reaction is then cooled to room temperature. It is diluted with an
appropriate solvent and cooled to about 0°F (-18°C), causing crystallization.
The crystals are then isolated by filtration and dried. These crystals are an
intermediate of aspartame which must be further modified.
7 The intermediate is converted to aspartame by reacting it with acetic acid.
This reaction is performed in a large tank filled with an aqueous acid solution,
a palladium metal catalyst, and hydrogen. It is thoroughly mixed and allowed to
react for about 12 hours.
Purification 

8 The metal catalyst is removed by filtration, and the solvent is distilled,
leaving a solid residue. This residue is purified by dissolving it in an aqueous
ethanol solution and recrystallizing. These crystals are filtered and dried to
provide the finished, powder aspartame.
Quality Control 

The quality of the compounds is checked regularly during the manufacturing
process. Of particular importance are frequent checks of the bacterial culture
during fermentation. Also, various physical and chemical properties of the
finished product are checked, such as pH level, melting point, and moisture
content. 

The Future 

Currently, there are only three alternative sweeteners in the United States that
can be used in food products. While aspartame is perhaps one of the best
available, scientists are looking for new ways to make these sweeteners taste as
much like sugar as possible. Their research has been focused in three areas,
including finding new derivatives, blending sweeteners, and enhancing the
efficiency of aspartame. 

Most of the chemical derivative work has centered on finding compounds which
will fit into the taste bud receptors better than traditional aspartame. Using
aspartame as the model, researchers believe they will be able to improve various
characteristics by making slight modifications. For example, they have found
that when L-aspartic acid alone is modified in a certain way, it gives products
that have a sweet taste. Future research 

will likely focus on these kinds of derivatives.
Another area of research focuses on improving the heat stability of aspartame.
Using encapsulation technology, aspartame has been developed which can be used
in baked goods and baking mixes. Initial test results are positive, and FDA
approval has been granted for bakery applications. 

Since only three synthetic sugar substitutes are currently approved for use in
food in the U.S., combining artificial sweeteners in products is becoming an
important technological advance. Here, scientists combine two or three
sweeteners in an effort to make the product taste more sugarlike. 

Read more: How aspartame is made - material, manufacture, making, history, used,
parts, components, structure, product, History, Raw Materials, The Manufacturing
Process, Quality Control, The Future
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Aspartame.html#ixzz0hQ8niMsu