Thaumatin II: A Natural Protein Sweetener As a Sugar Replacement for Healthier Diets

Global efforts to prevent and control diet-related chronic illnesses, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, include replacing products that contain added sugars with those that contain reduced-calorie sweeteners. About two dozen low-, no- and reduced-calorie sweeteners are used in food and beverages to help reduce their sugar content. Of these, protein sweeteners offer a safe alternative to sugars and have a desirable sweetness profile. The product thaumatin consists of mixtures of 4 sweet-tasting proteins obtained from raw materials gathered in African tropical forests. Thaumatin is sold commercially mainly as a taste modifier due to supply instability and high price. Thaumatin II, a natural component of the mixture, is now being produced recombinantly in temperate plants such as spinach or tobacco by Nomad Bioscience GmbH. Pure Thaumatin II is the sweetest known natural substance, up to 11,000-times sweeter than sucrose (w/w), and can replace ≥35% of sugar without perceptible changes in taste. It has received multiple Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) classifications by FDA and the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA). Thaumatin II can be manufactured indoors or in the field using transient or transgenic plant-based expression systems. Techno-economic analyses using Superpro Designer® modeling software and assuming >50 metric ton/year manufacturing scale have estimated the production cost to be <$700/kg. Because Thaumatin II is much sweeter than sugar, the process enables cost-effective use of Thaumatin II as a sweetener for the first time. The use of Thaumatin II as a sugar replacement also offers environmental benefits, because the amount of protein needed to impart sucrose-equivalent sweetness can be produced in 0.05% of the land area currently required for sugar cane and sugar beet cultivation. Functional features of Thaumatin II as a sugar replacement ingredient and the advantages of the new manufacturing process will be discussed.