Calorie-free sweetener producer pursues sweet protein growth

Sweet protein is a sugar-reduction solution that is forging ahead in the functional confectionery​ category. ​The Institute of Food Technologists found in 2024 research​ that naturalness, taste and satiety prompt shoppers to pick up protein products that contain specific protein sources.

Confectionery manufacturers and brands are launching new products to appeal to consumer demands for sweet protein sources. However, as a relatively early category in the confectionery space, gaining industry approval to back the credibility of its claims is one way brands can ensure their sweet protein products stand out on the shelves.

Pursuing GRAS status​

Novel protein developer Amai Proteins has developed a calorie-free sweetener, Sweelin. The brand has pursued and received two industry approvals for its sweetener. US trade association within the flavour industry, Flavour Extract Manufacturing Association (FEMA), certified Sweelin as Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) and Self-Affirmed GRAS.

These labels refer to flavouring ingredients that are GRAS and Self-Affirmed GRAS under the 1958 Food Additives Amendment to the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act.

Providing safety data, these approvals enable sweelin to be used as a safe ingredient and flavour in the US and for food applications ranging from food and beverages to dietary supplements. Amai Proteins is now working towards obtaining regulatory approvals, including the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notified GRAS status.

The sweet protein was inspired by proteins that exist in harsh conditions such as the Dead Sea, hot springs and acidic swamps. Amai Proteins determines that these are fit for mass market requirements. The sweet protein may suit various confectionery products, including chocolate, chewing gum and gummies.

Computational protein design: A 2024 Nobel prize-winning concept​

Launched in 2016, Amai Protein’s founder, Dr Samish, left a career in academia and published a book exploring computational protein design. This topic has seen David Baker receive the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.​

Amai Protein’s research and development (R&D) process includes the pro-cube platform, designed to produce a tasty hyper-sweet serendipity berry sweet protein at a cost-effective scale. By creating sweet protein this way, Amai Proteins strives to reduce between 40% and 70% of added sugar in products without compromising taste, health, cost and sustainability.

The pro-cube platform includes three core components. Firstly, it includes an artificial intelligence-based (AI) computational protein design (CPD) that aims to make stable, clean-tasting and easy-to-biomanufacture designer proteins.

Next, the platform produces the proteins using a precision fermentation process using yeast or other microorganism proteins. The method includes techno-economics optimisation to ensure the sweet protein Sweelin will not be any more expensive than sugar in terms of its sweetness units. Biomanufacturing uses a protein brewery similar to the method used to produce beer to ensure consistent, scalable and sustainable production.

Thirdly, the platform evaluates the appropriateness of the protein for the mass food market, considering its sensory profile, stability and ability to significantly reduce sugar.

Creating hyper-sweetness​

“Amai uses a protein as a high-potency sweetener,” says Ilan Samish, CEO and Founder of Amai Protein. Amai—which means ‘sweet’ in Japanese—focuses on sweetener trends rather than those in the protein space to carve out its path in the sweet protein sector.

Amai Protein's newest development is sweetened by a blend of sweelin (65%) and low-intensity sweeteners (35%), such as maltitol and erythritol. “As sweelin is so sweet—on average 3,000 times sweeter than sugar—it is given in very small amounts,” says Samish. A teaspoon of sugar is replaced by less than two milligrams of sugar. “As the amount is so small, sweelin does not provide nutritive benefits,” Samish adds.

“The current version of sweelin can be boiled for a short time but is not sufficiently stable for most baking applications,” Samish says. However, new versions will produce protein sweeteners for bakery applications.

“I realised we can design a serendipity berry sweet protein,” says Samish. The academic-turned-founder explored producing a sweet protein that will capture the sweetness potency of the berry sweet protein found in the wild. With Amai Proteins, he also sought to develop a hyper-stable ingredient that has a clean, sweet taste that can enable significant sugar reduction without compromising taste and health. “Moreover, we can teach yeast how to make it and then make it cheaper than sugar in sweetness units,” says Samish.

Sweelin was launched in response to the negative health effects of overeating sugar. “Sugar overconsumption underlies the metabolic syndrome with its manifestations including diabetes, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and epithelial cancers,” says Samish.

Amai Proteins spotted a gap in providing a sugar reduction solution that meets the demand for taste, cost-effectiveness, sustainability and health-consciousness. Dr Samish says that “above 30% sugar reduction, there is no good solution” that combines these attributes. 

“Thus, sweet proteins are not expected to demonstrate adverse effects on our body,” adds Samish. However, these proteins are compromised by a sensory profile that does not deliver the clean taste of sugar, by high cost, and by low stability, “which is not fit for the mass food and beverage market,” Samish continues.

“Historically, the ingredient industry has struggled to meet the demand for healthy sweetness—sweelin is about to disrupt this industry,” says Rick Greubel, Chairman of Amai’s Board of Directors, as the company moves closer to commercialisation.