Brazzein-based Sweetening Systems for Reduced-sugar Foods

The reduction of sugar content in foods remains one of the major challenges for the food and confectionery industry. Consumers are looking for products with less sugar, yet without compromising taste or texture. However, many conventional sweeteners face limitations in flavour performance or processing behaviour.

Within the projects “NovelSweets” and “BeyondSugar”, the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, together with metaX Institut für Diätetik, candidum, and Symrise, is developing an innovative protein-based sweetening system derived from sweet-tasting proteins.

At the core of this approach is an optimized variant of the natural protein Brazzein, originally isolated from the African plant Pentadiplandra brazzeana. This protein is approximately 10,000 times sweeter than sucrose, virtually calorie-free and non-cariogenic, and exhibits a pleasant honey-like taste profile. The optimization of its structure and functionality was successfully completed within the NovelSweets project.

The current focus of BeyondSugar is on process optimization, scale-up of biotechnological production, and preparation for regulatory approval. The aim is to produce the sweet protein efficiently, reproducibly, and sustainably under industrial conditions.

Together, the projects lay the foundation for the future use of protein-based sweetening systems in confectionery, beverages, and other food products – contributing to technologically and nutritionally sustainable product develop