Aspartame is the most successful and widely used artificial sweetener but its use is limited in cold foods and soft drinks only. This is because
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → It is unstable at cooking temperature
Aspartame is the most widely used artificial sweetener, but it breaks down on heating, so it can be used only in cold foods and soft drinks.
Why the other options are incorrect
Option (1) It is soluble at low temperature only — Incorrect. The limit comes from the breakdown of aspartame on heating, not from its solubility; for hot foods a heat-stable sweetener such as sucralose is used.
Option (2) It has very low boiling point — Incorrect. Aspartame is a solid (a methyl ester of a dipeptide); it does not boil away from food, it decomposes.
Option (4) It is insoluble at high temperature — Incorrect. Solubility is not the problem; on heating aspartame breaks down and loses its sweetness.
Note 1: This question is from the pre-rationalised NCERT book (2022-23). The topic is not there in the latest NCERT book (2026-27), and it is also out of the CUET 2026 syllabus.
NCERT (Pre-rationalised edition, 2022-23):
Artificial Sweetening Agents – …
Note 2: The same/similar question has been asked in different years by NTA as per the details given below:
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | – | 22-05 S3 | 30-08 S2 |