New Natural Sweetener Could Rival Aspartame

Till now, those who wanted a non-caloric natural sweetener needed to use sugar alcohols, which sometimes have a laxative effect, or stevia, which the FDA will not allow in food processing. Now, a new plant-derived high intensity sweetener is set to hit the market worldwide, emerging as what could be the first natural sweetener to rival artificial counterparts such as aspartame and sucralose.

Brazzein, which is derived from a plant native to Africa, will be marketed globally under the brand name "Cweet". The product is touted as being 1,000 times sweeter than cane sugar on a weight basis.

Nature Research Ingredients, which has obtained the exclusive worldwide manufacturing and distribution license for the ingredient from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), claims this new product is in no way linked to the previous versions of brazzein that failed to reach the market.

The ingredient will not be available commercially for another 12 to 18 months, pending approval of a self-affirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status that the company is currently preparing to submit to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Cweet claims to have a similar taste profile to sugar, to be heat stable and water soluble, and to have no undesirable aftertaste. It also carries a no-calorie claim.

In terms of pricing, Miles said it is still too early to tell where the product will be positioned, although the target price is set at a similar level to that of artificial counterpart sucralose on a per weight basis.

The ingredient should be suitable to use in any food and beverage product, with no particular formulation challenges foreseen at this stage. Depending on manufacturers' needs, it can be used to replace all artificial sweeteners in a product.