L-Phenylalanine
L-Phenylalanine is an essential aromatic amino acid required for protein synthesis and as the metabolic precursor of L-tyrosine, catecholamine neurotransmitters, and thyroid hormones.
The molecule is a white crystalline powder with a slightly bitter taste, sold at high purity for pharmaceutical, nutritional, and industrial applications. It is best known to consumers as the major raw material for the synthesis of the high-intensity sweetener aspartame.
We source bulk L-Phenylalanine from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturers are in Jiangsu. For this ingredient the minimum order is 100 kg and a 20-foot container takes 10 MT, and a smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
or call +86-21-6858 0751
- Minimum order
- 100 kg
- Qty in 20' FCL
- 10 MT
- Packaging
- 25 kg kraft paper bag with PE inner liner
- ISO 9001
- HACCP
- Halal
- Kosher
Specifications
Grades / Types Available: Pharmaceutical Grade, Food Grade
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | White crystalline powder |
| Assay | ≥ 99.0% |
| Specific Rotation [α]D²⁰ | -33° to -35.5° |
| Loss on Drying | ≤ 0.3% |
| Residue on Ignition | ≤ 0.1% |
| Heavy Metals (as Pb) | ≤ 10 mg/kg |
| Purity (Pharmaceutical Grade) | 98% min |
| Moisture/Loss on Drying | < 0.5% |
| pH | 6.0 - 7.0 |
| Lead | < 1 ppm |
| Arsenic | < 0.5 ppm |
| Total Plate Count | < 1000 cfu/g |
| Yeast & Mold | < 100 cfu/g |
Common Markets Grades
L-Phenylalanine comes in three grades: pharmaceutical, food and feed.
Pharmaceutical grade meets USP, Ph. Eur., and JP monographs at 98.5 to 101.0 percent on the dried basis. It is used in injectable amino acid solutions, oral solid dosage forms, and medical nutrition products.
Food and supplement grade at 98.5 percent minimum is produced for dietary supplements, sports nutrition, medical foods, and as the input to aspartame manufacture. FCC specifications cover residue on ignition, chloride, sulphate, ammonium, and heavy metals.
Feed grade at 98 percent is produced for specialty aquaculture and laboratory animal diets where the amino acid profile must be balanced precisely.
Applications
- Aspartame manufacture as the principal amino acid feedstock
- Infant formula and follow-on formula as an essential amino acid
- Parenteral nutrition and amino acid infusion solutions
- Medical foods (excluded from phenylketonuria formulas)
- Sports nutrition and pre-workout supplements
- Dietary supplements positioned for mood and cognitive support
- Pharmaceutical actives and excipient blends
- Cell culture media for biopharmaceutical production
- Specialty aquaculture and laboratory animal feeds
- Cosmetic peptide and amino acid blends for skin care
Brands Using L-Phenylalanine
Widely-distributed consumer products that list L-Phenylalanine on the ingredient label.
- NOW FoodsL-Phenylalanine 500 mg Veg Capsules ↗Each capsule supplies 500 mg L-Phenylalanine, an essential amino acid that can be converted to tyrosine and the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine.Label verified 2026-05-24
- Source NaturalsDLPA DL-Phenylalanine 375 mg ↗DLPA tablets contain a 50/50 mixture of L- and D-phenylalanine at 375 mg; the L-isomer is the precursor to neurotransmitters that support an alert state.Label verified 2026-05-24
- SolgarL-Phenylalanine 500 mg Vegetable Capsules ↗Each vegetable capsule provides 500 mg of free-form L-phenylalanine.Label verified 2026-05-24
- SolgarDLPA 500 mg Vegetable Capsules ↗DLPA capsules deliver 500 mg of free-form DL-Phenylalanine (a 50/50 mixture of L- and D-phenylalanine) for mood and well-being support.Label verified 2026-05-24
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of L-Phenylalanine
Top L-Phenylalanine manufacturers in China.
Jiangsu Ogo Biotech Co., Ltd.9 ingredients in the directory
Wuxi Jinghai Amino Acid Co., Ltd.18 ingredients in the directory
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
How We Help Source L-Phenylalanine
Direct Factory Sourcing
We run the whole process: selecting the manufacturer from the top Chinese food ingredient producers, negotiating the price, verifying quality, and coordinating the logistics. You deal with us instead of with several factories at once.
Original Packaging and Documents from the Manufacturer
The manufacturer sends your L-Phenylalanine out of its own factory in the original packing, through to your destination port. The COA, COO, MSDS, TDS and any certifications reach you from the manufacturer as well.
Free Samples and Lead Time
We send 100 to 500 g free for your own laboratory to test and you cover only the courier, usually within 2 to 3 working days. ETD is usually within 7 to 15 days once the order is confirmed, and we check that date against the factory's own manufacturing schedule before we give it to you.
Combined Shipment
We can load L-Phenylalanine together with other ingredients such as Glycine, L-Arginine and L-Leucine into one 20' FCL. If your quantity is small, we can also ship LCL.
Regulatory Status
L-Phenylalanine is recognised as an essential nutrient and approved for food, supplement, and pharmaceutical use globally.
In the United States it is GRAS under 21 CFR 172.320 for use as a nutrient in foods, with provisions for infant formula under 21 CFR 107. The European Union authorises L-phenylalanine for food and supplement use, and lists it in the food additive register as a permitted amino acid source.
JECFA has assessed L-phenylalanine and accepts it as a food-grade amino acid without numerical limit when used in line with good manufacturing practice.
A mandatory warning statement is required in many jurisdictions on products containing phenylalanine or aspartame, to alert individuals with phenylketonuria (PKU) who cannot metabolize the amino acid. Pharmacopoeial monographs in USP, Ph. Eur., and JP govern pharmaceutical and parenteral use.
Manufacturing Process
L-Phenylalanine is produced commercially by microbial fermentation.
Engineered Escherichia coli or Corynebacterium glutamicum strains convert glucose to L-phenylalanine through the shikimate pathway, with knockouts of feedback-sensitive enzymes and overexpression of the rate-limiting DAHP synthase to push carbon flux toward the aromatic amino acid branch. Ajinomoto pioneered industrial fermentation routes in the 1980s to meet aspartame demand.
A secondary enzymatic route operated by some producers couples trans-cinnamic acid with ammonia using phenylalanine ammonia lyase to yield L-phenylalanine directly. This route was commercialized by Genex and later by other manufacturers as an alternative to fermentation.
Downstream recovery uses cation exchange, decolorisation with activated carbon, crystallisation at the isoelectric point near pH 5.5, centrifugation, and drying. Major suppliers include Ajinomoto, Kyowa Hakko, Daesang, and several Chinese producers in Shandong and Hebei provinces.
