Liquid chromatographic determination of aspartame in dry beverage bases and sweetener tablets with confirmation by thin layer chromatography

A liquid chromatographic method is described for the determination of aspartame in dry beverage bases and sweetener tablets. The sample was mixed with the mobile phase, the pH was adjusted to within +/- 0.1 pH unit of the mobile phase, and the sample was diluted to volume with the mobile phase. The solution was filtered and a 10 microL aliquot was injected onto a C18 reverse phase column. Aspartame was quantitated with an ultraviolet detector. Recoveries of aspartame ranged from 94 to 111%. The dry beverage bases contained 5-13% aspartame and the sweetener tablets contained 19% aspartame. The presence of aspartame was confirmed by using thin layer chromatography.