BRAZZEIN - Development and Commercialization of Novel Low Calorie Food & Beverage Products

A protein found in a West African fruit is being turned into a commercial sweetener to replace sugar in foods and drinks. Brazzein, extracted from the fruit of the *Pentadiplandra brazzeana* plant, is thousands of times sweeter than sugar but contains almost no calories. Unlike many artificial sweeteners, it remains stable at high temperatures and in acidic conditions, making it suitable for baking and carbonated beverages. This project aims to develop and commercialise products that use Brazzein as a direct substitute for sugar, targeting the obesity and metabolic health crises linked to excessive sugar consumption. If successful, the work could change what goes into everyday products—from soft drinks to yoghurts and cakes—without requiring consumers to change their eating habits. For food manufacturers, it offers a heat-stable, natural alternative to synthetic sweeteners like aspartame or sucralose, potentially simplifying ingredient lists and reducing production costs. The project also addresses a gap in the market: most high-intensity natural sweeteners (such as stevia) have bitter aftertastes or limited stability, whereas Brazzein reportedly tastes clean and sweet at low concentrations. The grant supports moving this ingredient from laboratory extraction to supermarket shelves.