Title: Alternative Sweeteners

Less Common High-Potency Sweeteners 225
Figure 13 Structure of 3-(4-chloroanthraniloyl)-dl-alanine.
Figure 14 Structure of 3-(3-carbamoyl-2,4,6-tribromophenyl)propionic acid.
sweeter than sucrose. The compound has a slow onset and a slightly lingering
aftertaste, as well as some bitterness (2). Within this compound class, the intensity
of sweet taste depends on the chain length of the carboxyalkyl or carboxyalkoxy
group (2). The acute toxicities of several tribromobenzamides have been determined
in mice, and the results were comparable with analogous data obtained
for saccharin and aspartame (2).
IV. SWEETNESS MODIFYING SUBSTANCES
A. Sweetness Inducers and Enhancers
1. Sweet Proteins
Miraculin is a tasteless basic glycoprotein constituent of the fruits of Richardella
dulcifica (Schumach. & Thonning) Baehni [formerly Synsepalum dulcificum
(Schumach. & Thonning) DC. (Sapotaceae) (miracle fruit), which has the propensity
of making sour or acidic materials taste sweet (1, 2). Native miraculin occurs
as a tetramer of a large polypeptide unit, constituted by 191 amino acid residues,
with a carbohydrate content of 13.9% and an overall molecular weight of 24,600
daltons (25). The complete amino acid sequencing of miraculin monomer was
accomplished by Kurihara and coworkers (2), and the purification, biochemistry,
and biological properties of this glycoprotein have been subjected to review (25).
Miracle fruit concentrate was at one point commercially available in the United
States as an aid in dieting but was removed from the market because FDA approval
as a food additive was never obtained (2).
Curculin, a sweet-tasting protein from Circuligo latifolia (Hypoxidaceae),
mentioned earlier in this chapter, also possesses sweetness-enhancing effects. The