What Foods Contain Aspartic Acid?

Aspartic acid is one of two acidic amino acids---glutamic acid is the other---that play key roles in the human body's enzyme-active centers. Although aspartic acid is considered nonessential because the body will synthesize it even if dietary intake is insufficient, a deficiency can produce profound fatigue and reduced stamina, according to DietaryFiberFood.com. Eating a diet that includes foods high in aspartic acid can help to prevent deficiency and its accompanying symptoms.

Meat, Poultry and Fish

Both finfish and shellfish contain high levels of aspartic acid. Dried and salted Atlantic cod, cooked yellowfin tuna and cooked blue crab meat rank high on this list, offering 6, 3 and 2g of aspartic acid per 100g serving, respectively, according to Diet & Fitness Today. Other aspartic-acid-rich foods in this category include chicken giblets, 3g; braised top round beef, 3g; beef chuck pot roast, 3g; bacon, 3g; cooked lamb shoulder, 3g; cooked veal leg, 3g; and cooked light-meat turkey, 2g, per 100g serving.

Seeds and Legumes

Seeds and legumes are excellent sources of aspartic acid, according to Diet & Fitness Today. In the seeds category, partially defatted sunflower seed flour and partially defatted cottonseed meal top the list, each providing 5g of aspartic acid per 100g serving. Soy protein isolate ranks highest in the legumes category with 10g per 100-gram serving. Other aspartic-rich legume products include defatted peanut flour, 6g; freeze-dried tofu, 5g; defatted soy flour, 5g; and soy-based meat extender, 4g, per 100g serving.

Eggs and Dairy Foods

Dried egg whites contain 8g of aspartic acid per 100g serving, and dried egg yolk supplies 3g for the same-size serving. Among dairy products, grated parmesan cheese provides 2g of aspartic acid, and semi-soft goat cheese has 1g per 100g serving, according to Diet & Fitness Today.

Fruits and Vegetables

The only fruit with a significant level of aspartic acid is dried apricot, which contains 1g per 100g serving, according to Diet & Fitness Today. Aspartic-rich vegetables include dried seaweed, or spirulina, 5g; freeze-dried sweet green or red peppers, 2g; dried ancho peppers, 1g; tomato powder, 1g; freeze-dried chives, 1g; and sun-dried tomatoes, 1g.

Aspartame

Aspartame, a food additive marketed primarily as an artificial sweetener, breaks down during digestion into three components: aspartic acid, another amino acid called phenylalanine and methanol, according to Phyllis A. Balch, author of "Prescription for Nutritional Healing." In the years since it was first marketed in the early 1980s, concern has been expressed about its safety, including allegations that the additive might cause cancer. Subsequent studies have thus far found no basis for such concerns, although some people are sensitive to aspartame and should avoid its use altogether.