Consumers' high awareness of Monk Fruit Sweetener comes from its advantages in clean label, which is generally added to food and beverages in the form of monk Fruit Extract, monk fruit powder, monk fruit juice, etc., which can be directly labeled as "monk fruit/monk fruit extract" (Monk fruit /monk Fruit ExtractAs a natural ingredient in food, it is not limited by the amount of additives, so the use rate of monk fruit in organic natural food and beverages in North America is high. SPINS data shows that in 2020, the use of monk fruit in food and beverages with clean label in the United States market increased by 15.7%.

The global monk fruit market was valued at USD 396.34 million in 2019 and is expected to reach USD 532.17 million by 2026, growing at a CAGR of around 4.3%. In the North American market, the market growth rate of Luo Han Guo has been above 20% for two consecutive years. SPINS data shows that in 2021, the growth rate of monk fruit in the North American market will reach 20%, and the most used categories are protein supplements/meal replacements, frozen desserts, and nutrition bars and gels; The fastest-growing categories are yogurt, entrees and desserts.

Health effects of monk fruit

Mogroside is the main source of sweetness of monk fruit, the sweetness is about 200 times that of sucrose, there is no post-bitterness like steviol glycosides, the sweetness is pure, it can play a role in modifying and optimizing the taste of other sugar substitutes, has high stability, and is suitable for various applications.

In addition, it also has the effect of lowering blood sugar, this sweetener is a triterpenoid, which is a non-sugar component, which will not affect blood sugar, and can also stimulate the β cells of the pancreas to secrete insulin, weaken the damage of alloxan to pancreatic β cells, help improve the function of damaged cells, and have a certain regulatory effect on blood sugar. A study in diabetic mice showed that monk fruit extract was able to reduce oxidative stress and blood sugar levels, and increase HDL cholesterol levels.

A new experiment confirms that mogrosides do not affect the gut microbiota in the same way that artificial sweeteners such as sucralose, but instead promote an increase in beneficial bacteria. A recent paper published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry investigated the prebiotic effects of a sweetener composed of GOS and mogrosides.

In order to increase the sweetness, the researchers added enzyme-modified mogrosides, which are not only very similar in flavor and sweetness to sucrose, but also increase the content of "beneficial bacteria" strains such as lactobacillus, Clostridium globulus, Bacteroides, Bifidobacteria, and enterococci in the intestine, as well as beneficial metabolites produced by bacteria such as butyrate, propionate, and acetate, which have very obvious prebiotic properties.

Market application of monk fruit

In addition to being commonly used in natural organic food and beverages, monk fruit is a common sweetener for keto-friendly products like erythritol, steviol glycosides, and allulose, which are often compounded to obtain better taste and texture.

Partially substituted for sugar

Kraft Heinz Updates Capri Sun Recipe to Reduce Sugar by 40% on Average By using monk fruit concentrate to reduce the sugar in this juice drink by an average of 40%, containing 8 grams of sugar per serving (including 5 grams of added sugar), Capri Sun, which had not previously updated the formula, added 11 grams of sugar.

Love Grown Foods has launched a keto-friendly granola sweetened with maple syrup and monk fruit that contains 150 to 160 kcal, 5g of protein, and 4 to 6 grams of carbohydrates per 1/3 cup.

Completely use monk fruit sugar substitutes

Kuli Kuli Meal Replacement Shake with Organic Moringa Leaf Powder, Organic Cocoa Powder, Organic Pea Protein, Organic Brown Rice Protein, Sunflower Lecithin, 8g of Plant-Based Protein and 4g of Dietary Fiber per serving (4 tablespoons), sweetened with organic monk fruit extract.

Source: Kuli Kuli

Truvani's plant-based protein powder contains only five simple ingredients: organic pea protein, organic chia seed protein, organic pumpkin seed protein, organic vanilla powder, and organic monk fruit, with no added fillers, preservatives, additives, and artificial flavors.

Bluebonnet's Collagen Liver Supplement consists of Type I and Type III hydrolyzed collagen peptides, raspberry juice powder, milk thistle extract, L-glutathione, hibiscus pollen, maltodextrin, citric acid, and monk fruit extract for sweetness.

Reveal is made from recycled avocado seeds, each bottle is infused with two avocado seeds to prevent them from being discarded, and organic apple cider vinegar, monk fruit extract and organic malic acid to provide flavor and sweetness.

Monk fruit blend formula

Monk fruit can also be combined with other sweeteners, such as monk fruit and stevia have a good synergistic effect, which can improve the taste and improve the cost performance; After the combination of monk fruit and erythritol and other functional sugar alcohols, the taste is better, the texture can also be improved, and the sweetness is similar to sucrose, which is in line with consumption habits; Functional dietary fibers such as monk fruit and inulin can improve taste and promote intestinal health. The combination of monk fruit and functional monosaccharides/oligosaccharides such as allulose and trehalose can further enhance the taste and is ideal for adding to baked goods.

Source: Amazon

KETO and CO Muffin Waffles contain only 2 grams of net carbs per serving, with the addition of 5 grams of prebiotic fiber to promote gut health.

The main ingredients are almond flour, coconut flour, milk protein isolate, natural flavored xanthan gum, sunflower lecithin, etc., and a mixed sugar substitute (erythritol, soluble corn fiber, inulin, monk fruit extract, natural flavoring) is used.

Enlightened Unsweetened Chocolate Syrup contains soluble corn fiber, erythritol, cocoa, natural flavors, sea salt, monk fruit extract, citric acid, and only 1g of net carbs and 20 calories.

Miss Jones Baking Co's Everyday Delicious range of low-sugar baking blends made with 100% whole grains and a sweetener blend. This sweetener blend is a blend of sucrose, chicory root fiber, tapioca fiber, and monk fruit to reduce sugar by 50%.

Behave Foods has launched a new low-sugar gummy made with monk fruit, chicory root fiber, and other natural flavors, inspired by customer requests for tropical and sour products. Each bag contains 60 calories, 10 mg of sodium, 32 g of total carbohydrates, 4 g of protein, and 88 mg of calcium, with no added sugar.

Killer Sammies Zero Sugar Ice Cream Sandwich, sandwiched between two chocolate or vanilla-flavored ice cream cookies made from pea protein, oat flour and cocoa, sweetened with erythritol, stevia, allulose and monk fruit, made with MCT oil, each sandwich contains 120 calories, 5 grams of protein, and 2 to 3 grams of net carbs.

Chobani's new range of zero-sugar yogurts is based on filtered milk and uses a natural fermentation method to allow the yogurt culture to consume the remaining sugar, sweetened with monk fruit and allulose, with 60 calories and 11 grams of protein per cup.

Rowdy Energy Sugar-Free Energy Drink is made with a blend of allulose, erythritol, monk fruit, and stevia extracts, plus 160 mg of caffeine from green tea and L-theanine to help focus.

Compared with the current situation that the application of monk fruit in foreign countries is thriving and more mature, the application and development of monk fruit in China is still in the development stage, and the popularity of fruit as a sugar substitute is far less than that of erythritol and stevia. As a native plant species in China, it is far from reaching the hot scene in foreign markets, and there are great prospects for development.