title: The sweetness concentration-response of r,r-monatin, a naturally occurring high-potency sweetener.
abstract: Monatin, known by the common and usual name arruva, is a zero-calorie, high-potency sweetener naturally occurring in the plant Sclerochiton ilicifolius A.Meeuse. The sweetness concentration-response (C-R) behavior of the most potent isomer (R,R-) in room-temperature (21 °C) water was determined using two-alternative forced choice discrimination tests with a minimum of 69 tasters. Results were processed by a method previously published to obtain isosweet concentrations of sucrose for 8 monatin concentrations up to 240 mg/L. These were used to construct a C-R plot. The equation for the resultant hyperbolic curve relating sucrose equivalent (SE,%) to monatin concentration ([monatin], mg/L) was SE = 26.7 ×[monatin]/(69.6 +[monatin]). R,R-monatin has a potency above 3000 at 5% sucrose equivalent, making it one of the most potently sweet naturally occurring substances known.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Monatin is a naturally occurring, zero-calorie, high-potency sweetener. We have measured the sweetness of monatin over a range of concentrations. This information will help developers of zero-, low- and reduced-calorie products formulate with monatin.
authors.affiliation: Connect Consulting, 6 Hollands Field, Horsham, UK.
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Fry
authors.forename: Nese
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yurttas
authors.forename: Kari L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Biermann
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Lindley
authors.forename: Melanie J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Goulson
mesh_terms: D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D007211:Indoles / Q000737:chemistry*; D013395:Sucrose / Q000737:chemistry; D013549:Sweetening Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D013649:Taste
chemical_list: C414924:4-hydroxy-4-(indol-3-ylmethyl)glutamic acid; D007211:Indoles; D013549:Sweetening Agents; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D013395:Sucrose