Pentadin (discovered in 1989) and brazzein[2] (discovered in 1994) are the two names proposed for the sweet-tasting protein(s) isolated via two different methods from the same African fruit, Pentadiplandra brazzeana. The corresponding author of both these publications has later opined that pentadin and brazzein are two different names for the same protein.[3] Even though pentadin is the earlier proposed name, brazzein is the more commonly used name after more extensive characterisation of the sweet protein.[2]
Oubli (Pentadiplandrabrazzeana) found in tropical West Africa[4]
Sweet tasting proteins have been known to exist for many years and indigenous people have been known to use these proteins as a way to add sweetness to their foods without the use of other sweetening agents, such as sucrose.[5] The sweetness of pentadin/brazzein has been estimated to be about 500 times more than sucrose, on a weight basis.[5] This sweet tasting protein is known to resemble monellin on a sweetness basis and is higher than thaumatin.[6]
Illustration of sweet-tasting proteins, regardless of their extraction origin, source, and types.[6]
There are five sweet-tasting proteins - thaumatin, monellin, mabinlin, brazzein/pentadin, and curculin - all of which are isolated from plants in tropical forests. These proteins show no similarities in a structural or homologous sequence aspect. All of these sweet tasting proteins have different molecular lengths, with no sequence homology and little to none structural homology. Efforts to identify structural similarities among sweet tasting proteins included using the 3D structures and DALI to find similarities. However only a vague resemblance was found for the three proteins tested, monellin, thaumatin, and brazzein.[7][8]
^ abFaus I (February 2000). "Recent developments in the characterization and biotechnological production of sweet-tasting proteins". Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 53 (2): 145–151. doi:10.1007/s002530050001. PMID10709975. S2CID31882473.
^Sharififar F, Ashrafzadeh A, Kavirimanesh Khanaman M (2022-10-31). "A Review of Natural Peptide Sweeteners". International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics. 28 (6): 158. doi:10.1007/s10989-022-10464-4. ISSN1573-3904. S2CID253226799.