The results of the world’s largest study of biotechnological sweet protein were published by Foods and Frontiers in Nutrition.
EFKO Group presented the results of studies on the safety of the sweet protein brazzein, conducted by Russian research teams of the Federal State Budgetary Institution of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yu.M. Lopukhin Federal Scientific and Clinical Center of Physical and Chemical Medicine of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia, the A.N. Belozersky Research Institute of Physical and Chemical Biology, the A.I. Evdokimov Moscow State Medical University, the Scientific and Production Center Pharmbiomed LLC, and previously published in Foods and Frontiers in Nutrition.
Sweet protein is a food ingredient that can replace sugar in familiar products and offer a healthy alternative to people with diabetes and watching their sugar intake, thanks to its unique properties: sweet proteins are several thousand times sweeter than sugar, do not cause an insulin response, and taste almost indistinguishable from sugar.
However, in order for the ingredient to appear on the market, it was necessary to confirm that its consumption is safe for human health and does not carry long-term negative consequences.
In a large-scale study, Russian scientists found out whether the consumption of sweet proteins monellin and brazzein can harm health. To do this, they assessed the toxicity of these compounds for guinea pigs, rats, and mice. The results showed that sweet proteins did not cause pathological changes in the lungs, liver, heart, kidneys, brain, small intestine, stomach, colon, ovaries, and testicles. In addition, the animals did not show signs of intoxication or weight gain. The compounds also do not have allergenic or mutagenic properties.
“Excess sugar is not only harmful to appearance – it increases the risk of developing non-communicable diseases. My colleagues and I have studied sweet proteins that could become a safe alternative to sugar,” says Maria Lagarkova, Director of the Lopukhin Federal Scientific and Clinical Center for Physicochemical Medicine.
“Sweet proteins were originally isolated from wild tropical fruits. One of them, thaumatin, has already been introduced into the food industry in several countries. Two other recombinant proteins, monelin and brazzein, are currently being studied. As part of the study, we were able to confirm that these proteins are not toxic, mutagenic, oncogenic, do not produce allergenic effects, and do not cause significant changes in the composition of the microbiota compared to the control group. At the same time, the group of animals that received sucrose showed an increase in the representation of Faecalibaculum rodentium, a bacterium associated with obesity.” Previously, the Russian technology for producing sweet protein was certified in the UAE. Now, after receiving the research results, scientists believe that Russia also has broad opportunities for introducing brazzein as a healthy alternative to sugar.
“For us, the safety of sweet proteins is of key importance. That is why we initially laid down such an approach to research, which even exceeds the requirements for certification. We are glad that the results confirmed the high level of safety,” says Rostislav Kovalevsky, Innovation Director of EFKO Group, which developed the technology for producing brazzein.
– Clinical trials on humans are currently in the final stage, and preliminary results also indicate the safety of the sweet protein. Now we do not see any obstacles to certification of the product in Russia and expect it in the near future.”