All About
Sweeteners
by D. Eric Walters, Ph.D.
by D. Eric Walters, Ph.D.
Artice of the week:
Brazzein
Taste:
Brazzein is sweet, with a slight licorice-like cooling effect in the mouth at high sweetness levels. It is up to 2000 times as sweet as sucrose on a weight basis. Like all of the protein sweeteners, its onset is slow, and the sweetness lingers for some time.
Calories:
Since brazzein is a protein, it can provide 4 calories per gram. However, its potency is so high that, at use levels, it would not be a significant source of calories.
Safety:
Brazzein is a protein, so it is expected that it would be digested just as any other dietary protein is.
Chemistry:
Brazzein is a relatively small protein, composed of a sequence of 54 amino acids. It is isolated from the fruit of the plant Pentadiplandra brazzeana from West Africa.[1]
Properties:
Brazzein is remarkably heat stable. It is very water-soluble.
References:
1. Ming, D.; Hellekant, G. Brazzein, a new high-potency thermostable sweet protein from Pentadiplandra brazzeana B. FEBS Lett. 355:106-108 (1994). PubMed link
Other links:
Brazzein on Wikipedia
SweetenerBook.com
This site is changing daily! Most recently updated 13 May 2008. All material is © copyrighted property of Walters Associates. All rights reserved.
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