An updated multifaceted overview of sweet proteins and dipeptides as sugar substitutes; the chemistry, health benefits, gut interactions, and safety

Food Res Int. 2022 Dec;162(Pt A):111853. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2022.111853. Epub 2022 Aug 24.

Abstract

Artificial sweeteners have become increasingly popular worldwide owing to their lower calorie content in addition to the claims of health benefits such as weight control, blood glucose level regulation in diabetics, and protection against dental caries. Nevertheless, there is still controversy regarding their safety, especially when administered over the long term, taking into account that most of the safety studies are based on animal models and only a few human studies. This review focuses on low-calorie protein/peptide sweeteners. These include artificial sweeteners, i.e. aspartame, advantame, neotame, and alitame which are synthetic, versus those of natural origin such as thaumatin, monellin, brazzein, pentadin, mabinlin, curculin, and egg white lysozyme. We conducted a systematic literature survey to ensure the accuracy of the data regarding the chemical properties, synthesis, and industrial applications. The health benefits and safety of these sweeteners in humans are presented for the first time in context to their metabolic profiles and gut interaction.

Keywords: Applications; Chemistry; Dipeptide sweeteners; Metabolism; Phenylketonuria (PKU); Safety; Sweet proteins.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Aspartame / adverse effects
  • Candy
  • Dental Caries*
  • Dipeptides
  • Humans
  • Sweetening Agents* / adverse effects

Substances

  • Sweetening Agents
  • Dipeptides
  • Aspartame