RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CALIF. – The high-intensity sweetener brazzein will be commercially available from Sweegen under the Ultratia brand in February, giving food and beverage companies another way to reduce sugar in their products. Zero-calorie brazzein is 500 to 2,000 times sweetener than regular sugar. It has little to no bitter aftertaste and helps reduce sweet linger, according to the Rancho Santa Margarita-based company.
Found sparingly in nature, brazzein derives from the West African climbing plant’s fruit, oubli. Sweegen uses a proprietary precision fermentation process to scale brazzein sustainably. Sweegen is pursuing a range of global regulatory approvals for brazzein.
“With Sweegen’s growing and proprietary portfolio of signature sweetness solutions, product developers have more creative possibilities for developing mainstream reduced sugar foods and beverages, as well as innovations for popular diets such as keto and low-to-no carbohydrate lifestyles,” said Sally Aaron, senior vice president of marketing for Sweegen. “With Sweegen’s Ultratia brazzein, coupled with our portfolio of advanced stevia sweeteners, and our flavors for taste modulation, featuring bitter-blocking technology, brands now have modern tools for creating great-tasting products with consumer appeal.”
