Question

Aspartame, an artificial sweetener is a peptide and has the following structure. Which of the following is correct about the molecule?

This question has multiple correct options.
A. It has four functional groups.
B. It has three functional groups
C. On hydrolysis it produces only one amino acid.
D. On hydrolysis it produces a mixture of amino acids.

Answer 1

Hint: Aspartame is used as a substitute of sugar as an artificial sweetener in foods and beverages. The aspartame contains two amino acids which are joined together by a peptide bond.

Complete step by step answer:
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener which is a non-saccharides which is 200 times sweeter than the sucrose. It is commonly used as a sugar substitute added in food and beverages. Aspartame is a methyl ester of aspartic acid. Aspartame is a formed in 1965 and approved for use in food products by FDA in 1981.
The structure of aspartame is shown below.

In the structure, it can be seen that the aspartame contains a total four functional groups. The functional groups are defined as those atoms or groups present inside the molecule which have their own characteristics property.
The functional groups present are amine \[ - N{H_2}\], carboxylic acid –COOH, ester \[ - COOR\], amide \[ - CONR\]
Aspartame on hydrolysis gives methanol, phenylalanine and aspartic acid as a product where phenylalanine and aspartic acid are two amino acids. Thus, on hydrolysis aspartame produces a mixture of two amino acids.

So, the correct answer is Option A,D.

Note: Aspartame due to its property of sweetener provides 4 kcal of energy per gram. The quantity of aspartame required to produce a sweet taste is small enough that its caloric value is negligible.