Aspartame is an artificial sweetener sold in the market. It consists of amino acids and provides…

Answer: (d) Aspartame is several times sweeter than table sugar, hence food items made with small quantities of aspartame yield fewer calories on oxidation.

Aspartame is far sweeter than table sugar, so only a tiny amount gives the same sweetness. Its calories are similar to those of other amino acids, but so little is used that they are negligible in the final food. The low-calorie claim rests on the small quantity used, not on any failure of the body to metabolise it.

• ✗ (a) Aspartame is not as sweet as sugar; it is much sweeter. Nor does the body lack enzymes for it. Digestion breaks it down into aspartic acid, phenylalanine and a little methanol, which are absorbed and used. The question itself says it provides calories like other amino acids.
• ✗ (b) Food processing does not make aspartame resistant to oxidation. Its low-calorie status comes from the tiny quantity needed, not from any change during processing.
• ✗ (c) Aspartame is not converted into metabolites that yield no calories. It supplies about 4 kcal per gram, like proteins and amino acids. It adds little energy only because so little is used.
• ✓ (d) Aspartame is many times sweeter than sucrose, so a very small amount gives the same sweetness. The calories it adds are then negligible.

Remember · Aspartame is about 200 times sweeter than sucrose. It is low-calorie because it is intensely sweet, so only tiny quantities are used, not because the body cannot metabolise it.

Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2011, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). · Report an error