[caption class="snax-figure" align="aligncenter" width="1140"][/caption]Thaumatin is extracted from the West African katemfe fruit, often known as the African Serendipity Berry. The fruit includes 1-3 black seeds enclosed by a gel and topped with the aril, a membranous sac containing the'sweet proteins' Thaumatin. The fruit's seeds have long been used in traditional medicine and to sweeten traditional West African meals like sour fruits.
Because Thaumatin is up to 2000 times sweeter than sugar, such little amounts are needed. It's a fantastic natural sweetener that's safe for diabetics and won't make your teeth deteriorate.
Natural sweet proteins are unique among sweeteners in that they are natural, have a high sweetness potency when compared to sugar, and hydrolyze into a normal distribution of amino acids. The only commercially available ‘natural protein' sweetener is thaumatin’s.
This versatile ingredient can be used in a variety of meals and beverages, with a focus on taste alteration and flavour improvement.
Considering its proteinaceous nature, Thaumatin is very stable. It's been used successfully in pet food canning, where it stays stable at 120°C, and in coatings exposed to dry temperatures of 140°C.
Thaumatin’s is stable at pasteurisation and ultra-high temperatures (UHT). It can be reformulated with protective chemicals to improve its physical and chemical stability even more. Its molecular structure allows it to be stable under acidic conditions (below pH 2), which is a useful characteristic.
Thaumatin's ability to disguise metallic or bitter tastes is a key property that explains its widespread use in the human and animal food industries, as well as with high-intensity sweeteners, particularly saccharin.
The combination of thaumatin’s and saccharin is used in a wide range of goods, from tabletop sweets to animal feeds, to hide the metallic aftertaste of saccharin. Thaumatin has been demonstrated to be particularly successful in hiding the bitter parts of natural flavours in citrus fruit items, which is why it's used in juices, yoghurts, and desserts.
Sign in to leave a comment.