Thaumatin: Nuzest's Natural Sweetener

Ever wondered how Nuzest's Clean Lean Protein gets its sweet taste without artificial sugars or even Stevia? The answer is thaumatin: a low-calorie sweetener and flavor modifier. The protein is primarily for its flavor-modifying properties and not exclusively as a sweetener.¹

The thaumatins were first found as a mixture of proteins isolated from the katemfe fruit (Thaumatococcus daniellii) originally from Ghana, West Africa. Some proteins in the thaumatin family of sweeteners are roughly 2,000 times more potent than sugar. Although very sweet, it's taste is markedly different from sugar's taste; the sweetness builds very slowly. Perception lasts a long time, leaving a licorice-like aftertaste at high usage levels. It is highly water soluble, stable to heating, and stable under acidic conditions. Within West Africa, the katemfe fruit has been locally cultivated and used to flavor foods and beverages for some time. The fruit's seeds are encased in a membranous sac, or aril, that is the source of thaumatin.

In the 1970s, Tat and Lyle began extracting it from the fruit. Thaumatin has been approved as a sweetener in the European Union (E957) and elsewhere. In the US, it is a Generally Recognized as Safe flavoring agent (FEMA GRAS 3732). Learn more about Nuzest Clean Lean Protein and try it for yourself.

References

1. Green C (1999). "Thaumatin: a natural flavour ingredient." World Rev Nutr Diet. World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics 85: 129-32.