January 19/Tokyo/Asia Pulse -- Japan's Ajinomoto Co. is taking steps to broaden its business of supplying artificial sweeteners to food and beverage makers worldwide.
Low-calorie carbonated beverages already use the firm's aspartame, which is 200 times sweeter than sugar, and from fiscal 2011, Ajinomoto will begin marketing the next-generation sweetener Advantame, which is said to be 20,000-40,000 times sweeter than sugar.