Was trolling for informed technical info on naturally occurring alcohol and found this which stopped me dead.
To me it seems to say that not only fruit but also aspartame used as a sugar replacement is a potential licence loser.
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It has been shown that the ingestion of a moderate amount of fruit such as a 3-5 apples or oranges causes approximately 0.75 grams of methanol to be released into the body (Lindinger 1997). Such a daily intake throughout the day (or equivalent amount from juices) is approximately equivalent to the amount of methanol absorption seen in workplace exposure that has lead to the development of methanol toxicity symptoms (Frederick 1984, Kingsley 1954-55, Kavet 1990). In other words it is approximately equivalent to working five days per week in air with a methanol concentration of 260 mg/m3. This methanol air concentration is higher than found in a methanol-laden chemical plant (120 mg/m3) (Heinrich 1982) and a methanol-laden printing shop (~140 mg/m3) (Baumann 1979).
Absorbed Methanol From 1.5 kg Fruit (or juice equiv) During Day
750 mg of methanol (from fruit) * 7 days / 70 kg
= 75 mg/kg/week of methanol absorption.
Absorbed Methanol From 260 mg/m3 Air Exposure During Workweek
The formula used to calculate methanol inhaled in the
Baumann (1979) study was discussed by Kavet (1990):
(260 mg/m3 * 6.67 m3/workday * 5 workdays * 60 absorption
rate) / 70 kg
= 74 mg/kg/week of methanol absorption.
0.75 grams (750 mg) of methanol obtained from fruit is equivalent to the amount of methanol obtained from drinking 0.45 liters of brandy (40% ethanol) containing 0.5% methanol (Lindinger 1997). This amount of methanol without a protective factor such as ethanol would qualify as a "significantly methanol-contaminated beverage" (Lindinger 1997).
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The article goes on in detail but if 5 apples equals .45 litres of brandy and the most common sweetner has the same affect we need to know more.
Hope this link works
http://www.kats-korner.com/health/aspartame.html