Thaumatin
A natural sweetener and flavour
enhancer
The Agroforestry concept as promoted by
OCAP involves capacity building of the rural community with regard to
ecologically sound and economically viable farming practices.
Emphasis is placed on more intensive
agriculture, thereby producing more per unit area whilst
simultaneously reducing the pressure on the remaining forest
resource.
Intercropping of food crops with trees,
crop rotation and incorporation of legumes and income generation
measures through the utilisation and further processing of
alternative crops are first options.
Non-timber Forest Products (NTFPs) such
as Thaumatococcus daniellii, a plant that thrives in the forests and
from which Thaumatin is derived, form another promising component.
Thaumatin is an all-natural protein obtained from the arils of the
seeds of Thaumatococcus daniellii. The protein is extracted from the
arils with acidified water and the resulting liquid is purified by
cross-flow filtration. Samartex offers the freeze-dried product in
pure powder form and in accordance with EU standards.
Benefits:
Being 2000-3000
times sweeter than sucrose Thaumatin can be used in very low
quantities.
Thaumatin
contributes virtually no calories; one gram provides only 4.2 kcal.
Its flavour
enhancing properties make it ideal for use in coffee drinks, instant
coffee and tea, alcoholic beverages, milk products, yoghurt, cheese,
jams and jellies, confectionery, ice cream, functional food,
condiments and food supplements as well as diet integrators based on
vitamins and mineral elements in syrup-type or chewable form.
It is used in
chewing gum, toothpaste and mouthwash to help improve and prolong
their flavour and cooling effects.
Thaumatin improves
the quality of the flavour/sweetener impact in many applications even
for citrus and berry flavours. This effect is very important for the
storage of these products. Thaumatin is pH-stable for 6 months. It
maintains its sweetness/flavour balance when used at very low levels
(2-3 ppm).
It is able to mask
flavour deterioration, e.g. unpleasant flavours that develop due to
degradation of lemon flavours in soft drinks to guarantee a fresher
lemon taste. Thaumatin effectively masks, bitter, metallic and
astringent aftertastes. This property is used by the pharmaceutical
and cosmetics industries. Saccharin is blended with Thaumatin to mask
its metallic after-note.
When blended with
other sweeteners, e.g. Saccharin, Acesulfame K, Aspartame, Thaumatin
has synergistic effects and provides a more sucrose-like mouth feel.
When using intense
sweeteners and polyols to reduce calories it is often difficult to
achieve a good taste and natural flavour at the same time. Typical
examples are low-fat and low-calorie dairy desserts. However, using
Thaumatin at very low levels (0.1 to 0.5 ppm) can give them a more
rounded flavour.
Thaumatin does not
contain fermentable carbohydrates. It does not lead to the production
of carcinogenic acids, which provide the nutrients for the formation
of plaque. Used in toothpaste and mouthwash products it improves
flavour and facilitates good dental hygiene.
Thaumatin is
soluble in water, aqueous alcohol, glycerol and propylene glycol
Thaumatin is heat
and pH-stable. It is stable in freeze-dried form stored under cool
and dry conditions up to two years.
Limitations
Delayed perception of sweetness;
perception lasts a long time leaving a liquorice-like aftertaste at
high usage levels.
Chemistry
Thaumatin consists of two proteins,
Thaumatin I and Thaumatin II. Their polypeptide chains are composed
of more than 200 amino acids and their molecular weight is about
22,200. Their tertiary structures are stabilised by eight disulfide
bridges making them unusually stable for proteins.
Their isoelectric point is around
11-12.
Applications
Thaumatin has a wide range of
applications in food and drinks, particularly for its flavouring
properties.
* Table top sweeteners
* Chewing gums
* Confectionery
* Cocoa - or dried fruit based
confectionery
* Ice cream
* Vitamin - and mineral - fortified
products
* Toothpastes and mouthwash
* Soft drinks
* Alcoholic drinks
* Yoghurts and desserts
* Cheese
* Jams and marmalades
* Low-fat products
* Condiments
* Food supplements and diet
integrators
* Pharmaceutical products
* e.t.c
Safety
A multitude of animal and human studies
have been conducted with no adverse reactions. The body digests
Thaumatin as with any other protein.
Status
Thaumatin is listed as an authorised
sweetener in the European Parliament and Council Directive 94/35/EC
of June 30 1994 on sweeteners for use in foodstuffs and is an
authorised flavour enhancer under the Miscellaneous Additives
Directive 95/2/EC.
Thaumatin is approved in all
applications in Europe as a “flavour preparation” under Directive
88/388/EC. Similar approvals exist in Switzerland, Israel, Canada,
Mexico, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand
and South Africa. In the United States it is approved by the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) as a “flavour preparation” under
generally recognised as safe (GRAS) and by the Flavour & Extract
Manufacturers Association of the U.S. (FEMA) at levels of 0.1 to 0.5
ppm.
Thaumatin is approved by the Joint
Expert Committee on Food Additives of the FAO/WHO (JECFA) and the
Scientific Committee on Food (SFC) of the European Commission. The
JECFA gave Thaumatin an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) “not
specified”, which means that it can be used in accordance with Good
Manufacturing Practice (GMP).
Thaumatin is listed on Table III in the
Codex General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA): This means that it
is permitted for use in food in general, unless otherwise specified,
in accordance with GMP.
Contact
Thaumatin Project
c/o Samartex Timber and Plywood Company
Ltd.
P.O.Box 1, Samreboi,
Ghana West-Africa
