Design of sweet protein based sweeteners: Hints from structure–function relationships

Rega, Michele F.; Monaco, Rossella Di; Leone, Serena; Donnarumma, Federica; Spadaccini, Roberta; Cavella, Silvana; Picone, Delia

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.10.151

Cited by 40 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…This protein and its derivatives have been proposed as potential low‐calorie sugar replacers for food and beverages, but their usage in this framework has been slowed down by their intrinsic structural fragility. Although displaying higher thermal stability than the heterodimeric natural precursor monellin , MNEI is still sensitive to combinations of pH and temperature values, that can trigger its unfolding, aggregation and precipitation, with consequent loss of activity . In recent years, MNEI has also become a well‐accepted model to study folding and aggregation properties of β‐sheet‐rich proteins.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One of the factors that strongly affects the outcome of such a process is pH. In fact, monellin stability is pH‐dependent, and a shift from acidic to neutral or alkaline pH can significantly affect stability and physical properties . Studies on MNEI have recently demonstrated that changes of the external pH in the range 4.0–8.0 reflect on the protonation state of a single residue, Glu23, located in a buried pocket of the protein and possessing an unusually high p K a value .…”

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confidence: 99%

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Influence of pH on the structure and stability of the sweet protein MNEI

et al. 2016

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Edited by Stuart FergusonMNEI is a single-chain derivative of the sweet protein monellin that, in recent years, has become an accepted model for studying protein dynamic properties such as folding and aggregation. Although MNEI is very resistant at acidic pH, exposure to neutral or alkaline pH strongly affects its stability. We have performed a thorough NMR study of the dynamic properties of MNEI at different pHs. The results demonstrate that, at physiological temperature, exposure to higher pH increases MNEI flexibility. The changes, originating from a well-defined region in the protein, are transmitted to the whole structure and are likely to be the key for triggering unfolding processes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Influence of pH on the structure and stability of the sweet protein MNEI

et al. 2016

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“…Among sweet substances, sweet proteins are receiving an increasing interest as low‐calorie sweeteners potentially appealing for food manufacturers and beneficial to those who need to control sugar intake, such as obese or diabetic people (Rega et al, ). The three best studied sweet proteins are monellin, brazzein, and thaumatin: their structure has been well characterized, and hypotheses about their mechanism of action have been formulated (Picone & Temussi, ; Temussi, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, we have performed several studies (Di Monaco et al, ; Di Monaco, Miele, Volpe, Picone, & Cavella, ; Rega et al, ) to characterize the sweetness perception of MNEI protein and to compare it with commercial sweeteners, focusing on MNEI sweetness in liquid matrix. However, since both sweeteners and hydrocolloids are largely used ingredients in food industry, contributing to both functional and sensory properties, it is necessary to extend these studies to semisolid or solid media.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal sweetness profile of MNEI protein in gelled model systems

Monaco

Plaza

Miele

et al. 2016

Journal of Sensory Studies

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MNEI has been proved to be a high-potency sweetener that could be used in the beverage industry to satisfy consumer demands for low-caloric products. Until now its sweetness profile was studied only in liquid samples. So the objectives of this study were to characterize the sweetness intensity profile of MNEI protein in simple gelled systems, and to characterize the dominance sensation of more complex gelled systems in comparison with other sweeteners. First, the sweetness intensity of MNEI and of three commercial sweeteners (aspartame, saccharin, and sucrose) was determined in aqueous solutions and in gel, at different agar concentrations, by the time-Intensity method. Then, gels at 1.5% agar concentration, containing flavoring, coloring, and acidifying agent were evaluated using the temporal dominance of sensation method to study the interaction between sweetness and other sensory attributes. Differences regarding sweeteners in solutions and gels were reported showing a decrease of sweetness intensity perception when sweeteners were added in a gelled matrix, especially for MNEI. Additionally, MNEI seemed to be the sweetener most affected by all evaluation conditions (coloring and acidifying agents) in the TDS method. The results are an important scientific contribution to the knowledge of MNEI sensory profile in gelled and complex matrices that could increase its range of food applications. Practical applications: The use of both time intensity and temporal dominance of sensation methods in order to evaluate the temporal sweetness profile of MNEI-based gelled system represented a new approach in the study of sweet proteins. Indeed, the use of the TDS represented an innovative approach to study the effect of color on sweetness and flavor perception. According to our results, MNEI gels did not perform well comparing to the other sweeteners in semisolid matrix. However, further studies should be carried out in order to better understand the interaction between MNEI protein and the gelling as well as the coloring agents. Regarding the application in semisolid foods, it could be suggested the use of new technologies like encapsulation in order to protect the protein from experimental conditions and prevent its interaction with the sweet taste receptor

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“…Despite artificial sweeteners (aspartame, saccharin, neotame, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium) have higher sweetness and lower calorie compared to sugar (Schiffman, 2012), yet these compounds are often linked to some diseases due to their side effects, including psychological problems, mental disorder, bladder cancer and heart failure (Masuda and Kitabatake, 2006). Some proteins have been known to elicit the sensation of sweetness (Gnanavel and Muthukumar, 2011;Rega et al, 2015;Masuda and Kitabatake, 2006). These proteins, so-called sweet tasting proteins, include thaumatin, monellin, mabinlin, brazzein, egg lysozyme, and neoculin (previously considered as curculin) (Picone and Temussi, 2012) are considered to be promising as low calorie sweeteners for sugar replacement (Masuda and Kitabatake, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Single step purification of 2S albumin from Theobroma cacao

Zaini

2017

Int. j. adv. appl. sci.

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Diabetes is prevalence in Malaysia affecting 21 % of her adults. The occurrence of this metabolic disease is linked to the excessive intake of high calorie sugar. Although non-sugar sweeteners are available, artificial sweeteners pose adverse side effects to human health while natural sweeteners such as sweet proteins suffer low heat stability thus limiting their utilization in food processing. However, sweet protein mabinlin from the plant mabinlang (Capparis masaikai Levl.) is a promising sugar substitute due to its excellence high heat stability and intense sweetness. Nevertheless, its mass production is hampered by the scarcity of the plant. Recently, 2s albumin in cacao (Theobroma cacao) showed high similarity to mabinlin and has more potential to be produced industrially because cacao are grown by many countries including Malaysia. However, there is no report regarding cocoa mabinlin characteristics, to date. In this study, we had purify 2s albumin, a protein that is correspond to mabinlin in cacao via Ion Exchange Chromatography (IEX). All peaks were pooled and collected, and then run through SDS-PAGE to confirm their purity. Peak 5 eluted from Q HP column in IEX gave a single protein band at 21 kDa after staining with silver nitrate solution. This study hopefully will lead to development of alternative low calorie sweetener from local resources of Malaysia, thus impact on reducing high sugar consumption related diseases, especially diabetes.

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Design of sweet protein based sweeteners: Hints from structure–function relationships

Cited by 40 publications

References 38 publications

Influence of pH on the structure and stability of the sweet protein MNEI

Influence of pH on the structure and stability of the sweet protein MNEI

Temporal sweetness profile of MNEI protein in gelled model systems

Single step purification of 2S albumin from Theobroma cacao

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