An Overview of Biotransformation for the Sustainability of Sweet-Tasting Proteins as Natural Sugar Replacers

Abstract

According to WHO, sugar intake rates should be reduced due to the connection between sugar and diseases. However, reducing sugar in foods is a challenge both for food manufacturers and consumers. Therefore, sweet-tasting proteins may solve this problem with a sweet taste, health benefits, and without caloric contents. Thus far, known natural sweet-tasting proteins are brazzein, curculin, thaumatin, monellin, miraculin, and mabinlin. Nevertheless, natural sources of sweet proteins might be extinct in the future due to overconsumption. Thus, biotransformation studies of sweet proteins are promising as they produce high yield rates, quality, fewer by-products, and more sustainable solutions.

Keywords

• sugar overconsumption
• natural sugar substitutes
• sugar replacement