Volume 26, April 2014, Pages 155–161
Food biotechnology ⬢ Plant biotechnology
The
increasing public awareness of adverse health impacts from excessive
sugar consumption has created increasing interest in plant-derived,
natural low-calorie or zero-calorie sweeteners. Two plant species which
contain natural sweeteners, Stevia rebaudiana and Siraitia grosvenorii,
have been extensively profiled to identify molecules with high
intensity sweetening properties. However, sweetening ability does not
necessarily make a product viable for commercial applications. Some
criteria for product success are proposed to identify which targets are
likely to be accepted by consumers. Limitations of plant-based
production are discussed, and a case is put forward for the necessity of
biotechnological production methods such as plant cell culture or
microbial fermentation to meet needs for commercial-scale production of
natural sweeteners.
Graphical abstract
Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
