Bioproduction of the Recombinant Sweet Protein Thaumatin: Current State of the Art and Perspectives.

Philippe Nimmegeers,Simen Akkermans,Jan F M Van Impe,Jewel Ann Joseph

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2019.00695

Abstract

There is currently a worldwide trend to reduce sugar consumption. This trend is mostly met by the use of artificial non-nutritive sweeteners. However, these sweeteners have also been proven to have adverse health effects such as dizziness, headaches, gastrointestinal issues, and mood changes for aspartame. One of the solutions lies in the commercialization of sweet proteins, which are not associated with adverse health effects. Of these proteins, thaumatin is one of the most studied and most promising alternatives for sugars and artificial sweeteners. Since the natural production of these proteins is often too expensive, biochemical production methods are currently under investigation. With these methods, recombinant DNA technology is used for the production of sweet proteins in a host organism. The most promising host known today is the methylotrophic yeast, Pichia pastoris. This yeast has a tightly regulated methanol-induced promotor, allowing a good control over the recombinant protein production. Great efforts have been undertaken for improving the yields and purities of thaumatin productions, but a further optimization is still desired. This review focuses on (i) the motivation for using and producing sweet proteins, (ii) the properties and history of thaumatin, (iii) the production of recombinant sweet proteins, and (iv) future possibilities for process optimization based on a systems biology approach.

Highlights

Food manufacturers are in constant search for alternative sweeteners for their products in accordance with the change of consumer perception on the intake of sucrose
P. pastoris is seen as an ideal organism for the large-scale production of the recombinant proteins because the medium required for its growth is relatively simple constituting mainly glycerol and methanol as the main carbon sources and other components such as biotin, trace elements and salts
Sweet proteins are seen to a have great potential today in various applications and are expected to rise to a level capable enough to replace sucrose in several applications

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Food manufacturers are in constant search for alternative sweeteners for their products in accordance with the change of consumer perception on the intake of sucrose. Table sugar has played a paramount role until its value began to subside due to the public awareness which surfaced over the past years This in turn triggered the development of alternative sweeteners that could effectively produce a similar effect in applications but have less impact on the overall health. The influence of artificial sweeteners on health aspects has been discussed widely in the past, there are still some uncertainties revolving around these sweeteners in terms of usage limitations (Marti et al, 2008) Examples of this class are acesulfame-K, aspartame, neotame, saccharin and sucralose, which are approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). These health effects are elaborated in the study of Whitehouse et al (2008). Ferland et al (2007) investigated the effect of this sweetener on the glucose and insulin levels in blood

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