sucrose over all sweetness levels saccharin on the other hand is found to be 700 times as sweet as sucrose when both are compared at their threshold levels of sweetness but only 150 to 200 times as sweet as sucrose at normal use levels the dipeptide esters of the present invention are l aspartyl dipeptide lower alkyl esters of the formula equ1 wherein z is ch sub 2 sub n s o sub m r wherein r is an alkyl radical of up to 6 carbon atoms or an alkyl aryl or alicyclic radical of 3 to 10 carbon atoms r 39 is hydrogen or an alkyl radical of up to 6 carbon atoms m is 0 or 2 n is 1 or 2 and x is halogen f cl br or i the lower alkyl radical symbolized by r and r 39 above are typified by methyl ethyl n propyl i propyl n butyl i butyl n pentyl 2 methyl n butyl neopentyl n hexyl 2 methyl n pentyl 3 methyl n pentyl 2 2 dimethyl n butyl and 2 3 dimethyl n butyl r may be as mentioned previously an alkyl aryl or an alicyclic radical of up to 10 carbon atoms examples of alkyl aryl radicals are benzyl phenethyl isopropylphenyl 3 phenylpropyl and isopropylbenzyl examples of alicyclic radicals are cyclopropyl cyclobutyl cyclopentyl cyclohexyl cycloheptyl and cyclooctyl by way of example of specific peptides which may be employed in the present invention in the form of their lower alkyl esters there may be mentioned l aspartyl l tyrosine l aspartyl l o.