A New Natural Sweetener on the Horizon

NAPLES, ItalyEarly sensory studies of a natural sweetener reveal its potential use as a high-potency sweetener in low-calorie beverages. Researchers from the University of Naples performed sensory studies on modified monellin protein (MNEI) in conditions typically encountered during beverage processing. and consumption. In testing the sweeteners recognition threshold (RT), researchers determined that the sweet taste RT of MNEI is 3,000 times lower than that of sucrose. Further, mineral content and temperature affected MNEI detection threshold (DT), although pH and thermal treatment did not affect perceived sweetness.

The researchers acknowledge that sweeteners are not used in beverages at their threshold concentrations, but that results of this study are a solid first step toward determining the sensory performance of MNEI.

The study was published online ahead of print in the Journal of Sensory Studies.