Mogrosides are sweeteners that are mainly derived from a fruit named monk fruit. It is a plant-based sweetener with 600 times more sweetness than regular sugar. Because of this reason, it is also used in bakery products, chocolates, etc., for an extra sweet taste. Different countries, including Latin American countries, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, etc., have approved mogroside sweeteners because of their extraordinary sweetness.

What is Mogroside?

In Some Plants, a glycoside is found, which is called Mogroside. This glycoside is composed of derivatives of cucurbitane. Mogroside is found in monk fruit or Luo Han Guo. Mogrosides are a kind of food sweetener which are derived from monk fruit.

The Mogroside monk fruit makes sweeteners that are 600 times sweeter than the sugar used in our routine. It is a food sweetener which is originated naturally. With the increasing concern in people regarding avoiding sugar, the mogrosides market has increased, and mogroside insulin has become a very popular alternative to other medicines due to rare mogrosides effects.

The other names for monk fruit are Luo Han Guo or Buddha fruit. The monk fruit is small in size, round in shape, and usually grown in Southeast Asia. Until 2010 monk fruit mogroside was used in Chinese medicine but in 2010, it was also approved to be a sweetener. The monk fruit’s seeds and skins are removed, and the fruit is crushed to get the juice.

This juice is converted into a powder used as a fruit sweetener. The monk fruit consists mainly of fructose and glucose. Mogrosides are more popular in the United States. The Mogroside is responsible for the useful properties that the monk fruit has.

What are the benefits of Mogrosides?

Most artificial sweeteners have a lot of side effects that can have a damaging impact on our health. These side effects include gas or many allergic reactions. But the sweeteners made from monk fruit have no such side effects. Monk fruit is a natural sweetener with excellent properties of mogrosides in it.

Mogroside, present in the monk fruit, offers the following advantages.

•    Fight Against Diabetes:

The mogroside, a natural sweetener, effectively fights against diabetes by lowering the blood glucose level in the body. Moreover, it also helps improve insulin secretion in the body and prevents any changes in the sugar level of the blood. So it is a very good option for diabetic patients as mogroside sugar usually does not aggravate the blood sugar level in the body.

•    Promote Weight Loss:

The mogroside has zero carbs and calories, which are major factors behind weight gain. Because of their absences prevents weight gain, thus lowering the chances of obesity. Therefore If you are looking forward to weight loss, monk fruit is a suggestion.

•    Anti-Fibrotic and Anti-Inflammatory Properties:

The Monk fruit is also known for its anti-inflammatory and mogrosides antioxidant characteristics. Mogroside prevents inflammation because of its antioxidant properties, which protect against tissue damage caused by free radicals. Moreover, its anti-fibrotic properties help control tissue scarring and lung inflammation.

•    Prevent Cancer:

Mogroside prevents cancer because of the absence of sugars that may cause tumor formation in the body. Moreover, it has anti-carcinogens that prevent cancer. Therefore mogroside used as an anti-cancer food. The Monk fruit’s benefits are far more than regular medicines. Due to its antioxidant properties, it also protects DNA from damage caused by free radicals, which are known for cancer growth.

•    Promotes Heart Health:

Mogroside promotes heart health by preventing the oxidizing of the cholesterol that causes the accumulation of cholesterol in the blood vessels and arteries. Consequently, it lowers the chances of strokes and heart attacks.

•    Act as a Natural Sweetener:

You can use mogroside as a natural sweetener in place of sugar. So, if you are unwilling to use sugar, you can enjoy your food products by replacing sugar with Mogroside.

Downsides of Monk Fruit

Although there are multiple benefits of mogrosides or Luo Han Guo, a few downsides need to be known. The mogrosides side effects are:

1. Monk fruit or mogroside production is not easily grown and available. It is quite hard to grow it in the first place.
2. If you want to import monk fruit, it might not be a suitable choice as the mogroside price is high and will be so costly.
3. Although sweeteners made from monk fruit extracts are better than artificial sweeteners,  fruit sweeteners are very rare and hard to find.
4. According to some people, Luo hanGuo has an unpleasant taste.
5. Unless you are in a region where Luo han guo is grown, you should consider it impossible to find monk fruit nearby.
6. It is quite challenging to grow monk fruits as they are rancid in a very short period.

Ways of Consumption

Monk fruit is commonly used in sweetening; it plays quite a good role as a sugar alternative. The sweetener can use in

• Tea (hot tea or iced tea)
• Coffee
• Lemonade
• Smoothies
• Juices of different kinds
• Sausages
• Salad dressings
• Frostings or mousse
• Cereals
• Oatmeal
• Ice cream
• Yogurt

The mogrosides are especially known for their sweetness. Also, the mogrosides are proven to be pharmacologically safe. Mogrosides are safe to be used as sweeteners because they are natural and low on calories, carbs, and fats. People with diabetes and obesity are advised to take mogrosides instead of sucrose. Mogrosides were regarded as safe for use as food sweeteners by Food And Drug Administration.

Chemical Mogroside Structure

Mogrosides form the main composition of S. Grosvenorii saponins. Mogrosides are rich in sweetness and are non-toxic. In S. Grosvenorii fruit, the precursor of mogrosides is the mogul. UDP- glycosyltransferases transform magrol into mogrosides with the growth of fruit. The multiple physiological functions of unlike structures that mogrosides have are because of mogrol. Mogrosides play a key role in many bioactivities like hypoglycemic effects, blood lipid-lowering effects, antioxidant effects, anti-inflammatory activities, anticarcinogenic activities, or also antitumor targeting activities.

The mogrosides are cucurbitane-type tetracyclic triterpenoids rich in sweetness and non-toxic sugars.

Mogroside May Stimulate Insulin Secretion:

Mogrosides mainly belong to the glucosides family. It consists of glucose residues along with triterpenoid aglucone. It plays a vital role in controlling diabetes as it demonstrates blood glucose control and antioxidant activities, which make it capable of controlling the blood glucose level. Moreover, it enhances insulin secretion in the body. They may act on the pancreatic B cells causing the exertion of antidiabetic function.

Write the Difference Between Monk Fruit and Stevia.

Monk fruit:

Monk fruit is a small size dried fruit that mainly grows in Southeast Asia. It was first utilized in the 13th century by Buddhists. It is famous because of its sweeteners that are mainly made from the extract of the fruit. Their sweetness is balanced by blending them with ingredients or dextroses.

Pros of monk fruits:

Here are some common benefits of monk fruits.

•    They do not cause obesity or weight gain as they do not contain calories.
•    They do not affect the sugar level of the blood.
•    They do not cause any side effects, thus helping maintain good health.

Cons of monk fruits:

The main disadvantages of monk plants are as follow.

•    There are many complications while growing the monk fruit. Thus they are not easy to grow.
•    The import of monk fruit is very expensive and can disturb your budget.
•    Folks usually dislike the taste of monk fruit. This disliking may be due to the reason that its taste may feel unpleasant after eating.
•   It is observed that the monk fruit stimulates the secretion of insulin. It can be harmful to those people whose pancreas already produces a greater amount of insulin.

Stevia

Stevia is a herb that belongs to the Asteraceae family. Like the monk plant, Stevia is also used to extract stevia sweeteners. They are sweeter than regular sugar and are used in various eatable products to add sweetness.

Pros of the Stevia

The benefits of the stevia show similarities to the monk fruit to a large extent. Some of the visible advantages of Stevia are discussed below.

•    You can find them in granule, liquid, or powder form.
•    They balanced the level of sugar in the blood.
•    They effectively lower the overall body weight because of the absence of weight-gaining calories.

Cons of Stevia

The disadvantages of Stevia are mentioned below.

•    They are more expensive than artificial sweeteners and sugars.
•    They have a licorice flavor, which you may feel a bitter aftertaste.
•    It may cause side effects such as gas, nausea, and bloating.

Mogroside vs. Stevia Sweeteners.

Mogroside and Stevia are low-glycemic sweeteners that share the same properties. Stevia is 200-300 times sweeter than sugar, while the Mogrosides are 150-200 times sweeter than sugar. They both have zero calories, and zero sugars, zero carbohydrates and are available in different forms. Thus, there is no major difference between both sweeteners. But, to use them, you can follow the following considerations.

•    Taste
•    Availability
•    Cost
•    Side effects
•    Added ingredients

If you are allergic to the Asteraceae family, you should not prefer Stevia. You can use them in coffee, tea, baking, and cooking according to your desire. You can purchase any sweeteners mentioned above according to your budget and required sweetness.

What is Mogroside V?

Mogroside V is a fruit-based, natural sweetening ingredient having zero calories. It is present and harvested from monk fruit. It exhibits 250-300  times higher sweetness as compared to sugar.

What is Mogroside V Structure?

Applications of Mogroside V?

You can use mogroside V for the following purposes.

•    Baked goods
•    Cereal bars
•    Ice-creams, desserts
•    Nutritional supplements
•    Ready-to-drink beverages
•    Dairy
•    Energy drinks
•    Sauces
•    Processed fruits. Etc.

 Are Mogrosides Bad for You?

Mogrosides are used as natural sweeteners that show numerous benefits in the body. There are no severe side effects related to the Mogrosides. Thus, they are non-hazardous to health. But, in rare cases, they may cause allergic reactions in people allergic to the Mogrosides. The allergic reaction because of Mogrosides can cause the following complications.

•   Wheezing
•   Swollen tongue
•   Weak or rapid pulse
•   Rash or hives
•   Vomiting or stomach pain
•   Dizziness
•   Difficulty in breathing

Discuss the Structure of Mogroside.

Structure

 

Molecular Formula:

C42H72O14

Chemical Structure of Mogroside:

Mogrosides are one of the main components of the S. grosvenorii saponins, having 200- 300 times higher sweetness than sucrose. The main precursors of the mogrosides is magrol in S. grosvenorii fruit. As the fruit growth increases, the UDP-glycosyltransferases transform the magrol into the mogroside.

The glycoside molecule comprises a glucose group and a magrol that are joined together through glycosidic linkage. The main differences in the glucose group numbers linked to the C24 and C3 positions on the structure of magrol yield the molecules of Mogrosides with major taste differences. Chen et al. use chromatography to find the triterpenoid saponins in S. grasvenorii.

As a result, he found that mogrosides V and IV are abundant in mature  S. grosvenorii and have higher sweetness resulting in a sweeter taste. On the other hand, Mogrosides IIE and IA1 are rich in immature fruits and possess a bitter taste.

During the ripening process, the  S. grosvenorii aponins undergo glycosylation. When the fruit is ripped, mogrosides IIE and IA1 are transformed into the mogrosides V and IV molecules, having the sweetest taste. When the mogrosides are orally ingested, various intestinal microflora and digestive enzymes degrade the Mogrosides into the magrol.

What is Mogroside V?

Monk fruits have various types of mogrosides. Mogroside V is one of them, having intense sweetness, and is the main type of mogroside. It is the major component of the monk fruit. More than 30% of the monk fruit consists of mogrosides V. Increase in the amount of mogroside V in monk fruit automatically enhances the fruit sweetness. The degree of sweetness of mogroside V is 250-300 times more than the other types of the mogrosides present in monk fruits and have low calorific contents.

 

Is  Mogroside V Safe for Our Health?

As we know, mogroside V is the main type of mogrosides in monk fruit. It is a natural sweetener with no harmful chemicals. Thus it is completely safe to use and poses no harmful effects on health. Some of the main benefits of mogrosides V are as follows.

• It is best for diabetes as it does not raise the blood sugar level.
• It exhibits anti-cancer properties and inhibits the growth of cancer cells.
• It shows anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties because it prevents DNA damage by inhibiting harmful molecules.

What Do You Know About Mogroside Type?

Mogrosides are the sweeteners also designated as monk fruit extracts. They are classified into various types with varying sweetness. Followings are some main types of mogrosides.

1. Siamenoside I (SI)
2. Iso-Mogroside-V (IMV)
3. Mogroside-IV (MIV)
4. Mogrosides-III (MIII)
5. 11-oxomogroside-V (OMV)
6. Mogroside-V (MV)
7. Mogroside-IVA (MIVA)

Among the type mentioned above, mogroside-V has the highest sweetness with fewer calories. It is also the most commonly preferred mogroside type used instead of sugar to add sweetness to a product.

Discuss Mogrosides Metabolism?

Mogrosides are the compounds that give sweetness to monk fruits. They mainly consist of mogrol, which is considered as its backbone structure. Various glucose units called glycosides are attached to the mogrol.

The metabolism and working of the mogrosides are similar in humans and animals. After consumption, their absorption is not done in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Thus, they do not provide any calories. As they reach the colon, the gut microbes cleave the glucose molecules. These gut microbes use them as a source of energy.

Then, the mogrol and other metabolites excretion occur in the gastrointestinal tract. They are absorbed in small amounts in the bloodstream. At the same time, the remaining is excreted through the excretion process in urine.

How to Mogroside Extract From the Monk Fruits?

Monk fruits are used extensively to sweeten beverages, packaged foods, and tabletop sweeteners. They are produced by removing the skin and seeds of the fruits. They are then filtered, and the sweet portion is filtered and extracted in powdered and liquid form.

Mogrosides can be efficiently extracted from the monk plant through ultrasonic extraction. It is a reliable, reproducible, rapid, and simple method of extraction that help in producing the sweeteners with no calories from the monk fruits.

Ultrasonic extraction is a popular technique that is gaining popularity for the intensification of extraction methods by opening the structures of cells and enhancing mass transfer. Various solvents, in the form of aqueous solutions or water, can efficiently extract the extracts of mogrosides from the fruit. Sonification can be combined with cold-water extraction to produce high-quality extracts of monk fruits. Sonification is a non-thermal, gentle treatment. It can also use with several other extraction media instead of solvents.

The ultrasonic extraction of the mogroside from the monk fruit offers the following benefits.

•   It produces high-quality mogrosides.
•   It provides a higher yield.
•   It reduces the time of extraction.
•   Retrofitting is possible.
•   It is non-thermal and involves cold extraction.

What is Mogroside Powder?

Mogroside powder is the powdered form of mogrosides containing about 80% of the mogroside (25% mogroside V). It is a fluffy and lightweight powder having higher sweetening properties.

Benefits of Mognoside Powder

Here are a few amazing benefits of mogroside powder.

• It is non-glycemic, thus preventing the rising of blood sugar levels.
• It exhibits antioxidant properties.
• It helps in promoting cardiac health.
• It promotes healthy digestion.
• It increases the process of fat burning.
• It prevents the stimulation of insulin production.

Is Mont Fruit Like Aspartame?

Mont fruits and aspartame are not alike as they show significant differences in taste. Magnosides are the natural sweeteners extracted from the mont plant, while aspartame is commonly found in artificial sweeteners. They are only related because they are used as sweeteners to add a sweet taste to a targeted product.

The beverage products that contain monk fruit sweeteners are less sweet. Moreover, they may show bitterness. On the other hand, aspartame causes greater sweetness and low bitterness than monk plant sweeteners, i.e., mognosides.

Discuss Mogroside Biosynthesis.

An analysis of the 200 candidates Siraitia grosvenorii genes shows the top five families of the enzymes that contributed to the mogroside synthesis. These five enzyme families are listed below.

1. squalene epoxidases
2. Triterpenoid synthases
3. Epoxide hydrolases
4. Cytochrome P450s
5. UDP-glucosyltransferases

Mogroside biosynthesis involves the pathway of metabolism with different stages. The development of fruit recognizes the initial stage. During this stage, the squalene is completely metabolized to the tetra-hydroxy cucurbitadienols and di-glucosylated resulting in fruit development. The fruit maturation stage follows it. It includes the addition and catalyzing of the branched glucosyl group. As a result, M6, M5, and M4 Mogrosides are synthesized.

Erythritol or Stevia, Which is Good Alternative of Sugar

When we compare Erythritol and Stevie, we found that Erythritol is the best option because it is related to sugar alcohols- a class of compounds and has low calories. It can be found naturally and is a Polyol, an organic compound, and 60-70% is sweet, so used to reduce sugar intake. It has no side effects on blood sugar and teeth due to its noncaloric properties. It can be manufactured with corn with the help of fermentation and enzymes.

Stevia also has low calories and is a natural sweetener. It is found in different products with low calories and does not have many minerals and vitamins as they remove during processing. It can be found in powder form, and its blended mixture with Erythritol is used as a sweetener.  It is an alternative to sugar and has no side effects on sugar levels. So you can use these ingredients without any hesitation.

Chemical Formula of Erythritol

The chemical formula of erythritol is C₄H₁₀O₄  

Can children, Breastfeeding, and Pregnant Women Consume Monk Fruit Sweeteners?

Various published research shows that healthcare providers approve of monk fruit sweeteners. They have no side effects that can disturb the body’s metabolism and functioning. A normal human can consume them daily without being worried.

They are even considered safe for children’s health. You can replace regular sugar with these sweeteners in your child’s food. In this way, your children can consume sweet products with fewer calories. It also prevents tooth decay in children as they are non-fermented, like erythritol and sugars.

In addition to the children, lactating and pregnant women can make monk fruit sweeteners a part of their diet without harm. Various animal studies demonstrate that they do not cause developmental and reproductive effects on mothers and offspring. They can enjoy sweet products daily without any harmful effects of sugar.

How Do Monk Fruit Sweeteners From Sugars?

The main purpose of both sugars and monk fruit sweeteners is to give a sweet taste to beverages and food. But monk fruit sweeteners are 100-250 times sweeter than regular sugar. Sugar is mainly derived from sugarcane, while monk fruit sweeteners are extracted from monk fruit. Moreover, the calories are abundant in sugar, while monk fruit sweeteners are known for having no calories. You can consume sweeteners with no bad effect on health, while sugar intake can result in the development of significant health hazards such as obesity etc.

 

 

How Can You Use Monk Fruit Sweeteners?

You can adopt the following ways to try monk fruit sweeteners.

• You can use it in your juices, tea, or coffee as an alternative to sugar.
• You can add it to your favorite recipes to add sweetness.
• You can sprinkle it on your fruits.
• Dairy products can sweeten by adding monk fruit sweetener.
• You can use it in baking products because of its stability at high temperatures.

Where to buy Mogroside V?

The demand for the Mogroside V is readily increasing because it adds sweetness to eatables with no increase in calories. If you are looking for this incredible product, you can purchase it from healthcare shops. For bulk orders, online websites and wholesale companies are the best options for you, and they also add a variety of mogrosides V in different forms. You can buy any desired form of mogroside at a reasonable price from Xi’an Herb Bio.

Conclusion

This article was all about the detailed discussion of mogrosides, mogrosides health benefits, and how does mogroside work. Monk fruit is a native fruit to China. Morgoside sweetness is the derivative of monk fruit juice. After reading this article, you will have all the basic and necessary information about mogrosides and Luo Han Guo. I have discussed the composition of mogrosides, the uses of Luo Han Guo, and the advantages and disadvantages of mogrosides and monk fruit. Although the research on the microsites and their uses is not completed yet, it is pharmacologically safe as an alternative to sugar or for diabetic patients. Mogrosides are calorie-free and have many benefits. The research about the safety of mogrosides is not complete yet, but the proof is that they have been used for centuries in Asia, and no harmful effect was ever reported.