A small human study found that brazzein-sweetened ice cream caused smaller glucose rises, but longer-term trials and cheaper production are still needed.
Brazzein, a naturally occurring sweet protein from the berries of Pentadiplandra brazzeana in West Africa, is drawing renewed attention after a study in Russia suggested it may help blunt blood sugar rises after a meal. The work, carried out by researchers at the Federal Research Centre of Nutrition, Biotechnology and Food Safety, tested how vanilla ice cream sweetened in different ways affected glucose levels in adults with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, or MASLD. According to Al Jazeera’s report on the study, 101 people took part.
The findings suggest that replacing sucrose with brazzein, or combining brazzein with inulin, produced smaller post-meal glucose spikes, with the clearest effect seen among participants who had type 2 diabetes. That matters because sharp rises in blood sugar after eating are a particular concern in prediabetes and diabetes, where repeated spikes can contribute to longer-term metabolic harm. Researchers said the results point to the possibility that brazzein-sweetened foods could offer a lower-glycaemic alternative, although they stressed that longer-term human trials are still needed.
Brazzein is not a newly discovered substance. A paper in the European Journal of Biochemistry described it as an exceptionally potent sweet protein, far sweeter than sucrose and unusually stable under heat, which has long made it attractive to food scientists looking for a natural sweetener that can survive processing. Another study published in Food Chemistry later reported antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic activity in laboratory tests, reinforcing interest in brazzein as more than just a sugar substitute.
At the same time, the path from laboratory promise to routine use remains complicated. A safety review published in Food and Chemical Toxicology concluded that brazzein, produced in Komagataella phaffii, appeared safe in the conditions tested, while other researchers have noted that production costs and large-scale manufacturing remain practical hurdles. Those limits help explain why brazzein has not yet become a common ingredient despite repeated interest in its properties.
Even so, the latest findings fit with a broader search for sweeteners that can reduce sugar intake without sacrificing taste. The World Health Organization has warned against relying on non-sugar sweeteners for weight control, citing concerns about possible long-term effects, which means brazzein would still need to prove its value in well-designed clinical studies before it can be treated as a meaningful metabolic tool. For now, the protein stands as a promising but still early candidate in the effort to design foods that are kinder to blood glucose.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
