Discovery of terpenoid and phenolic sweeteners from plants

Abstract

Several plant-derived compounds of the terpenoid and phenolic types have commercial use as sweeteners. In our research program directed toward the discovery of additional sweet compounds of these chemical classes, candidate sweet plants for laboratory investigation may be selected after scrutiny of the available literature, as a result of making inquiries in the field, and/or from a limited amount of organoleptic testing. Sweet-tasting plants are extracted according to a standard protocol, and preliminary safety testing is conducted before crude extracts or pure compounds are tasted. The practicality of using Mongolian gerbil electrophysiological and behavioral assays to monitor plant extracts and pure isolates has been examined. A number of sweet-tasting, plant-derived terpenoids and phenolics have been isolated and characterized, including the bisabolane sesquiterpenoids, hernandulcin and 4β-hydroxyhernandulcin, the labdane diterpene glycoside, gaudichaudioside A, the oleanane triterpenoid glycoside, periandrin V, the cycloartane triterpene glycosides, abrusosides A-E, the 3,4-seco-dammarane triterpene glycosides, pterocaryosides A and B, the semisynthetic dihydroflavonol, dihydroquercetin 3-acetate (4′-methyl ether), and the proanthocyanidin, selligueain A. Most of these new compounds are prototype "high-intensity" sweeteners that may be worthy targets for chemical synthesis or for semi-synthetic modification to produce substances with enhanced sweetness properties.

The Effect of Light Quality on Growth and Development of In Vitro Plantlet of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni

“…In addition, this plant species has medicinal properties and prevents both high blood pressure and dental cavities; it is also widely used for the regulation of blood sugar levels (Kinghorn and Soejarto 2002;Singh and Rao 2005).…”

Stevia in de strijd tegen cariës

“…1) (Kinghorn en Soejarto, 2002). De bladeren bevatten zogenoemde diterpene ent-kaurene glycosiden (steviolglycosiden).…”

Molecular Regulation of the Metabolic Pathways of the Medicinal Plants: <i>Phyla dulcis</i>

“…With the perfection of the genetic basis of yeast fermentation production of sesquiterpenes [8] accompanied by the detailed analytical chemistry of terpenes [6] [7] [10], it is logical to focus research attention on potential agricultural technologies for production of high-hernandulcin P. dulcis metabolic variants. Phyla sweetener industry generates about $1.5 billion [2] [20]. Wherefore, the proof of the biochemical protocols for the GDH-based plants system research concept is the demonstration of the RNA synthetic activity [21] of P. dulcis GDH and characterization of the metabolic functions of the RNA as presented hereunder.…”