Evaluation of Plant Extracts for Sweetness Using the Mongolian Gerbil

Abstract

Extracts of Thladiantha grosvenorii fruits, Stevia rebaudiana leaves, and Abrus precatorius leaves were investigated using Mongolian gerbil electrophysiological and conditioned taste aversion procedures, which were designed to respond to sucrose. A close correlation was observed between extracts of these sweet plants known to contain sweet principles and those extracts indicated as being sweet by a combination of these gerbil bioassays. The methods employed seem to be suitable for use in aiding the purification of highly sweet compounds of plant origin.

Sweet and Umami Taste: Natural Products, Their Chemosensory Targets, and Beyond

“…Even more potent than mogroside V is siamenoside I (18), another triterpene glycoside identified in S. grosvenorii as well as in other species of the same genus (S. siamensis), the sweetness intensity of which was rated as 563 times more intense than sucrose. [26] Today, "lo-han-kuo" extracts containing mogroside V are used to sweeten foods and beverages in Japan [17,27] and are classified with the GRAS status in the United States. [28] Other triterpene glycosides, the cyclocariosides, which feature a dammarane-type aglycone, were found in the leaves of Cyclocarya paliurus, a plant that has been used as a treatment for diabetes in China.…”

Noncariogenic intense natural sweeteners

“…65,66 In a preliminary study using these gerbil methods, it was found that when used in combination the procedure could be used to detect the presence or absence of sweet-tasting terpenoid glycosides of extracts of different polarities from Abrus precatorius leaves (sweet cycloartane-type triterpene glycoside constituents), Stevia rebaudiana leaves (sweet ent-kaurane-type diterpenoid glycoside constituents) and Thladiantha grosvenorii (Swingle) C. Jeffrey fruits [now Siraitia grosvenorii (Swingle) C. Jeffrey] (sweet cucurbitane-type triterpene glycoside constituents). 67 This study was followed by an evaluation of these methods using several pure terpenoid plant-derived natural sweet-eners. It was found that the gerbil's chorda tympani nerve did not respond to rebaudiosides B and C and steviolbioside from S. rebaudiana in electrophysiological experiments.…”

Moleküle und biologische Mechanismen des Süß‐ und Umamigeschmacks

“…Noch stärker als die Süßintensität von Mogrosid V, nämlich 563-mal stärker als jene von Saccharose, ist die Süßintensität von Siamenosid I (18), einem weiteren Triterpen-Glycosid, das in S. grosvenorii sowie in anderen Spezies derselben Gattung (S. siamensis) identifiziert wurde. [26] Heute werden "lo-han-kuo"-Extrakte, die Mogro-sid V enthalten, in Japan zum Süßen von Lebensmitteln und Getränken verwendet [17,27] und sind in den Vereinigten Staaten mit dem GRAS-Status klassifiziert. [28] Weitere [7,29] Aus süß schmeckenden Extrakten, hergestellt aus den Stängeln von Albizia myriophylla, die in der traditionellen Medizin in Thailand und Vietnam als Ersatz für Süßholz (Glycyrrhiza glabara L.) gedient haben, wurden mehrere Oleanan-Triterpen-Saponine isoliert.…”

“…Das Dihydrochalcon Glycyphyllin (27) zum Beispiel stellte sich als der süße Bestandteil der australischen Kletterpflanze Smilax glycyphylla Sm., die zur Familie der Smilacaceae gehört, heraus. Es wurde 1886 von Rennie isoliert und als Rhamnosid von Phloretin identifiziert.…”