Finding a non-sugar sweetener for food and beverages, one without it’s own unwanted side-effects, has been the holy grail of food processors for as long as I’ve written about the food business (40 years). A new possibility, brazzein, is getting some positive attention now.
Another, Xylitol, long used in sugar-free candies and elsewhere, is getting negative attention, however.
“A new study linking the low-calorie sugar substitute xylitol to an increased risk of heart attack or stroke,” reports The New York Times.
“For the new study, the researchers measured the levels of xylitol in blood plasma samples of over 3,000 participants who had fasted overnight. They found that people with the highest xylitol levels had roughly double the risk of heart attack, stroke or death within the next three years compared to people with the lowest levels,” the Times reports.
Xylitol, also known as sugar alcohol, has never been something I could eat much of without becoming bloated and…well, you know. So this study isn’t worrying me so much.
But I am interested to read a company has received permission to use brazzein, a sweet protein produced through fermentation, reports The Food Institute.
“Brazzein’s biggest selling point, arguably, is it has virtually no aftertaste, unlike long-used sugar alternatives like stevia,” the Food Institute reports. “Brazzein is a sweet-tasting protein found in nature in the fruit of the West African Oubli plant. According to ScienceDirect.com, brazzein is a soluble protein with a sweetness that’s approximately 1,500 times greater than sucrose.”
A company called Orbli has gotten FDA clearance and is already using the protein in lemonades, teas and chocolate bars. We’ll be keeping on eye out for more news, and more companies using this.
The No Salt, No Fat, No Sugar Journal 
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