• KSBB Journal
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.331-335
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• 1998

Erythritol is a four-carbon sugar alcohol with a low calorific value and non-cariogenicity. Erythritol is a new functional sweetener which can be used as sugar alternative. Erytheitol dose not cause discomfort such as diarrhoea and flatulence upon ingestion. The purpose of this study is to develope a novel process of erythritol economically in a large scale. To obtain a high erythritol producer, we have screened 3500 colonies from molasses, honey and honey combs. We have selected 40 erythritol-producing microorganisms, one of which yields 140g/L erythritol in 40% glucose medium. We have tested this strain in 5L fermentor to examine the fermentation characteristics. Results of fermentation show that the erythritol production was about 1.4g/L$.$hr in 400g/L glucose media with a 42% conversion. Further improvements require mutation for a higher producer, process optimization to reduce glycerol, and suppression of excessive foaming.

• Food Science and Industry
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.40-54
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• 2016

The recent much attention has been given to weight gain of the population and its consequences on the occurrence of diet-related diseases in developed countries. Sugar is considered to be the main culprit of these phenomena. Food manufacturers attempt to provide the consumer with reduced energy products with non-nutritional sugars. Some studies also showed that consumers preferred foods prepared with natural additives rather than chemical ones, due to health reasons. This article reviews issues related to sugar alternatives, as well as their use, health benefits and risks.

• Food Science and Industry
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.17-28
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• 2016

The concerns over obesity and obesity-related health problems are increasing as many consumers relate these health problems with sugar. The demand for sugar reduction is also rising and regulatory movement by governments including Korea is driven to reflect such demand. For the past decades, there have been diverse development and marketing of various sweeteners to substitute sucrose and high fructose corn syrup. Low caloric alternative sweeteners can be divided into high intensity sweeteners that have greater sweetness potency compared to sucrose, and low intensity sweeteners such as polyols, oligosaccharides and rare sugars that have less sweetness potency. This paper discusses representative low caloric alternative sweeteners, their market and trend.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 2017

Saccharin, the first artificial sweetener, was discovered in 1879 that do not have any calories and is approximately 200~700 times sweeter than sugar. Saccharin was the most common domestically produced sweetener in Korea in 2010, and it has been used as an alternative to sugar in many products. The interaction between artificial sweeteners and drugs may affect the drug metabolism in patients with diabetes, cancer, and liver damage, this interaction has not been clarified thus far. Here, we examined the effects of the potential saccharin-drug interaction on the activities of 5 cytochrome P450 (CYPs) in male ICR mice; further, we examined the effects of saccharin (4,000 mg/kg) on the pharmacokinetics of bupropion after pretreatment of mice with saccharin for 7 days and after concomitant administration of bupropion and saccharin. Our results showed saccharin did not have a significant effect on the 5 CYPs in the S9 fractions obtained from the liver of mice. In addition, we observed no differences in the pharmacokinetic parameters of bupropion between the control group and the groups pretreated with saccharin and that receiving concomitant administration of saccharin. Thus, our results showed that saccharin is safe and the risk of saccharin-drug interaction is very low.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.257-265
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• 2018

Sweetener is one of the additives that makes you feel sweet. Artificial sweeteners and sugar are typical examples, and sweetness proteins with sweetness characteristics have been widely studied. These studies elucidated the transformation lettuce cells with Agrobacterium method for stable production of natural sweet proteins, brazzein, thaumatin, and miraculin. In this paper, we report use of a plant expression system for production of sweet proteins. A synthetic gene encoding sweet proteins was placed under the control of constitutive promoters and transferred to lettuce. High and genetically stable expression of sweetener was confirmed in leaves by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Sweet proteins expressed in transgenic lettuce had sweetness-inducing activity. Results demonstrate recombinant sweet proteins correctly processed in transgenic lettuce plants, and that this production system could be a viable alternative to production from the native plant.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.161-166
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• 2019

The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality-based characteristics of Prunus mume fruit syrup, which is manufactured with various sugared sweeteners for suggestion of suitable alternative sweetener. Sweetener such as sucrose (MHP1), crystalline fructose (MHP2) and liquid fructo-oligosaccharide (MHP3) are used to manufacture Prunus mume fruit syrup. The sugar content of MHP1, MHP2 and MHP3 showed 53, 54 and $36^{\circ}Brix$, respectively. The total organic acid content of MHP1, MHP2 and MHP3 was 2.22, 3.07 and 3.71%. The total free sugar content of MHP1, MHP2 and MHP3 was 54.39, 47.52% and 31.62%, respectively. The appearance of MHP1 and MHP2 remained unchanged for the entire period but MHP3 had molded since the first week. This was as a result of the low total free sugar content in MHP3 sugared with liquid fructo-oligosaccharide compared to MHP1 and MHP2 sugared with solid sucrose and fructose. The sensory characteristics of MHP2 manufactured with crystalline fructose indicated an above average quality, indicating that it is difficult to manufacture Prunus mume fruit syrup using liquid sugar. It is suggested that crystalline fructose characterized solid form and lower glycemic index than sucrose be useful to manufacture Prunus mume fruit syrup as alternative sweetener.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.181-191
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• 2023

Objectives: The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing globally, and excessive added sugar consumption has been identified as one of the contributing factors. In the context of IBD, it is essential to explore functional sweeteners that can improve metabolic health and minimize the risk of IBD-related symptoms. This review article aims to shed light on the effects of natural mono- and di-saccharides as alternative sweeteners, specifically focusing on potential benefits for IBD. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was performed using PubMed and Google Scholar databases with articles published after the year 2000. The search terms 'IBD', 'added sugar', 'sweeteners', 'mono-saccharide', and 'di-saccharide' were combined to retrieve relevant articles. A total of 21 manuscripts, aligning with the objectives of the study, were selected. Papers focusing on artificial or high-intensity sweeteners were excluded to ensure relevant literature selection. Results: Multiple studies have emphasized the association between the high consumption of added sugars such as simple sugars and the increased risk of developing IBD. This is suggested to be attributed to the induction of pro-inflammatory cytokine productions and dysbiosis of the gut microbiota. Consequently, there is a growing demand for safe and functional sweeteners, in particular mono- and di-saccharides, that can serve as alternatives for IBD patients. Those functional sweeteners regulate inflammation, oxidative stress, and Intestinal barrier protection, and restore microbiome profiles in various IBD models including cells, animals, and humans. Conclusions: Understanding these mechanisms resolves the link between how sugar consumption and IBD, and highlights the beneficial effects of natural alternative sweeteners on IBD when they were administered by itself or as a replacement for simple sugar. Further, exploration of this relationship leads us to recognize the necessity of natural alternative sweeteners in dietary planning. This knowledge could potentially lead to more effective dietary strategies for individuals with IBD.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.63-70
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• 2018

Brazzein is the smallest sweet protein and was isolated from the fruit pulp of Pentadiplandra brazzeana Baillon, native to tropical Africa. From ancient times, the indigenous people used this fruit in their diet to add sweetness to their daily food. Brazzein is 500 to 2000 times sweeter than sucrose on a weight basis and 9500 times sweeter on a molar basis. This unique property has led to increasing interest in this protein. However, it is expensive and difficult to produce brazzein other than in its native growing conditions which limits its availability for use as a food additive. In this study, we report high production yields of, brazzein protein in transgenic rice plants. An ORF region encoding brazzein and driven by the $2{\times}CaMV\;35S$ promoter was introduced into rice genome (Oryza sativa Japonica) via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. After transformation, 17 regenerated plant lines were obtained and these transgene-containing plants were confirmed by PCR analysis. In addition, the selected plant lines were analyzed by Taqman PCR and results showed that 9 T0 lines were found to have a single copy out of 17 transgenic plants. Moreover, high and genetically stable expression of brazzein was confirmed by western blot analysis. These results demonstrate that recombinant brazzein was efficiently expressed in transgenic rice plants, and that we have developed a new rice variety with a natural sweetener.

• Food Science and Industry
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.58-73
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• 2022

Due to the recent demand for low-calorie foods, consumers are looking for alternative sweeteners that can control blood sugar, low risk of tooth decay and low calories. Regulations for permitted sweeteners in food vary from every country, and it is important for the government and the food industry to monitor products containing these sweeteners to ensure global compliance. Therefore, rapid, precise, and accurate analysis for food matrices should be applied to quality control, market surveillance, monitoring, and evaluation of food additive intake in the food industry. To analyze sweeteners simultaneously, it is essential to develop an efficient and rapid analytical method and to perform appropriate pretreatment steps such as solvent extraction and purification. This study presented the recent analysis trends about the suitable extraction method for food matrices focusing on non-nutritive sweeteners. Additionally, techniques for multi-compounds analysis using HPLC and LC-MS/MS and non-destructive analysis techniques using FT-IR were comprehensively described.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.270-278
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• 1990

This study was an attempt to investigate the usefulness of maltitol as an alternative sweetener. The acute effects of oral ingestion of 50g of maltitol or glucose on blood glucose and insulin levels following test dose were investigated by using five healthy normal subjects and ten diabetic patients. The data demonstrated marked differences between the utilization of maltitol and of glucose in both groups. Blood glucose and insulin responses to glucose were significantly greater than to maltitol in normal subjects(p<0.05). In diabetic patients, the peaks of the mean increment in blood glucose concentration after glucose and maltitol were reached at 60 minutes with mean values of 135mg/dl and 49mg/dl, respectively, and these differences were statistically significant(p<0.001). As for blood insulin responses in diabetic patients, the peak of the mean increment after glucose was 25.03$\mu$U/ml at 120 minutes. In contrast insulin responses to maltitol were significantly lower than to glucose(p<0.05), and the peak value was 7.98$\mu$u/ml at 60min. From these results it can be concluded that ingestion of maltitol resulted in significantly lower blood glucose and insulin increments than did glucose in both normal and diabetic patients.