Sweet-tasting proteins demonstrate application potential in foods and beverages due to their high sweetness, low calorie, and non-toxicity. So far, eight natural sweet-tasting proteins have been obtained from natural plants. This paper briefs the sweetness properties of the eight proteins and the molecular mechanism of the sweetness, reviews the progress in the genetic engineering, heterologous expression, and molecular modification of three representative sweet-tasting proteins (monellin, brazzein, and thaumatin), and summarizes their expression yields in different hosts and sweetness properties. Lastly, this paper prospects the research, application, and industrial development of sweet-tasting proteins. This review provides a reference for further research and development of new proteinaceous sweeteners.
Plant Proteins/biosynthesis* ; Genetic Engineering/methods* ; Sweetening Agents/chemistry* ; Plants, Genetically Modified/metabolism*

Mogroside V, a component with high content and sweetness in mogrosides, has many pharmacological activities such as relieving cough, reducing sputum, anti-cancer, anti-oxidation, regulating blood sugar, making it a natural nonsugar sweetener with therapeutic functions, and showing a broad market prospect. However, the limited resources and high extraction costs have restricted its widespread use. The rapid development of synthetic biology has provided a new idea for the production of plant natural products. The low-cost and large-scale production will be realized through the construction of a microbial cell factory for mogroside V. Here, we briefly introduce the structure and pharmacological activity of mogroside V, and review progress in applying synthetic biology for its synthesis, and also discuss the challenges faced by the current research, to provide a reference for further studies on the biosynthesis of mogroside V.
Biological Products/chemistry* ; Sweetening Agents/chemical synthesis* ; Synthetic Biology ; Triterpenes/chemical synthesis*

OBJECTIVETo establish a high performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of kirenol in Herba Siegesbeckiae Praeparata.

METHODThe analysis was carried out on a Boston Crest ODS column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) with gradient elution using acetonitrile-water as mobile phases. The flow rate was 1.0 mL x min(-1) and the detection wavelength was at 215 nm.

RESULTThe calibration curve was linear over the range of 0.0202-20.02 microg for kirenol. The correlation coefficient of the calibration curve was 0.99975. The average recovery was 99.62% with relative standard derivation (RSD) of 2.0%.

CONCLUSIONThe results showed that the method is simple, accurate and repeatable and it is suitable for the determination of kirenol in Herba Siegesbeckiae Praeparata.

Acetonitriles ; chemistry ; Adenosine ; analysis ; Asteraceae ; chemistry ; Carcinogens ; analysis ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Quality Control ; Sweetening Agents ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo apply Fuzzy mathematical methods to choose the best taste modifying prescription of oral solution of traditional Chinese drug.

METHODJin-Fukang oral solution was used as a model drug. The oral solution was prepared in different taste modifying prescriptions, whose tastes were evaluated by the fuzzy quality synthetic evaluation system.

RESULTCompound-sweeteners with Sucralose and Erythritol was the best choice.

CONCLUSIONFuzzy integrated evaluation can be used to evaluate the taste of traditional Chinese medicinal pharmaceuticals, which overcame the artificial factors and achieve more objective conclusion.

Administration, Oral ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Fuzzy Logic ; Humans ; Models, Biological ; Sweetening Agents ; pharmacology ; Taste ; drug effects

Animals ; Aspartame ; pharmacology ; Carbon Tetrachloride ; administration & dosage ; Disease Models, Animal ; Ethanol ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Liver ; pathology ; ultrastructure ; Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental ; chemically induced ; pathology ; Male ; Plant Oils ; administration & dosage ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sweetening Agents ; pharmacology

Luo han kuo fruit (Siraitia grosvenori Swingle), a fruit native to China, has been used as a natural sweetening agent for centuries and has been reported to be beneficial for diabetic population. However, limited research has been conducted to elucidate the relationship between the sweetening action and biological parameters that may be related to potential health benefits of LHK fruit (Luo Han Kuo fruit). The present study examined the effect of LHK fruit and its chemical components on insulin secretion using an in vitro cell model system. Mogroside V is the most abundant and the sweetest chemical component among the mogrosides in LHK fruit. The experimental data demonstrated that the crude LHK extract stimulated the secretion of insulin in pancreatic beta cells; furthermore, pure mogroside V isolated from LHK fruit also exhibited a significant activity in stimulating insulin secretion by the beta cells, which could partially be responsible for the insulin secretion activity of LHK fruit and fruit extract. The current study supports that LHK fruit/extract has the potential to be natural sweetener with a low glycemic index, and that mogroside V, possible other related mogrosides, can provide a positive health impact on stimulating insulin secretion.
Animals ; Cucurbitaceae ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Fruit ; chemistry ; Insulin ; secretion ; Insulin-Secreting Cells ; secretion ; Momordica ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Rats ; Sweetening Agents ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Triterpenes ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology