Mogroside V 50% (Monk Fruit)とは？用途・使用量・代替品・規格

Monk Fruit Extract, also known as Luo Han Guo Extract or Mogroside, is a natural sweetener product processed from the dried fruit of Siraitia grosvenorii (Swingle) C. Jeffrey, a plant of the Cucurbitaceae family, through water extraction, separation, purification, and drying processes. It is a natural plant extract with multiple biological activities. Monk fruit, also known as Arhat fruit, is a medicinal and edible plant unique to China. The main sweetening components of monk fruit are mogrosides, a class of cucurbitane-type triterpene saponins. Mogrosides are approximately 200–300 times sweeter than sucrose but provide virtually no calories, do not participate in human metabolism, and have minimal impact on blood glucose and insulin levels, earning the title of “natural zero-calorie sweetener”. Depending on purity, monk fruit extract appears as a light yellow to brown-yellow or white powder with a pure, refreshing sweetness, no unpleasant aftertaste, good solubility, high thermal stability, and acid/alkali resistance. It is a high-value functional ingredient in food, beverages, health supplements, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Monk fruit extract is rich in triterpene saponins (mogroside V, mogroside IV, etc.), flavonoids, polysaccharides, and various amino acids, with functions including clearing heat, moistening the lungs, relieving sore throat, opening the voice, moisturizing the intestines, relieving constipation, antioxidant activity, and blood sugar regulation.

Component Category

Monk fruit extract is known as the “king of natural zero-calorie sweeteners” and the “sweet treasure of medicinal and edible origin,” occupying a rapidly rising core position in the global sugar reduction wave. Its most prominent core advantages include: ultra-high sweetness as a natural sweetener, zero-calorie health attributes, excellent processing stability, multiple physiological activity benefits, natural origin with medicinal and edible safety assurance, and continuously optimized green extraction processes. 1 Ultra-high sweetness, zero-calorie natural sweetener Monk fruit extract is approximately 200–300 times sweeter than sucrose but provides virtually no calories, does not participate in human metabolism, and has minimal impact on blood glucose and insulin levels. Mogrosides are not broken down by human upper gastrointestinal enzymes and are excreted after fermentation by colonic microbiota, exhibiting zero glycemic index (GI=0) characteristics. Its sweet taste is pure and refreshing, with far less bitterness aftertaste than steviol glycosides, making it more acceptable to consumers and one of the best choices among natural zero-calorie sweeteners. 2 Excellent processing stability Monk fruit extract has excellent thermal stability, pH stability, and solubility, withstanding various food processing techniques such as baking, sterilization, and high-temperature cooking. It remains stable under strong acid or alkali conditions (pH 2–10). Its excellent thermal stability makes it widely applicable in baking, beverages, confectionery, and other fields—an outstanding advantage not possessed by many other natural sweeteners (such as steviol glycosides and allulose). 3 Multiple physiological activity benefits Monk fruit extract is not only a sweetener but also a functional ingredient with multiple physiological activities. Mogrosides have antioxidant and free radical scavenging effects, monk fruit polysaccharides have immunomodulatory functions, monk fruit flavonoids have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, and mogroside V activates SIRT1 protein expression, promoting elastin synthesis and improving skin aging. Monk fruit extract also has traditional functions including clearing heat, moistening the lungs, relieving sore throat, opening the voice, and moisturizing the intestines. 4 Natural origin with medicinal and edible safety assurance As a medicinal and edible plant unique to China, monk fruit has been consumed for hundreds of years. Monk fruit is listed as a medicinal and edible substance and can be used as an ordinary food ingredient. Monk fruit extract has been recognized as GRAS by the US FDA, with no specific acceptable daily intake (ADI) established, considered highly safe. Its pure plant extraction and zero-additive characteristics perfectly align with clean label and natural health consumption trends. 5 Continuously optimized green manufacturing processes The production process of monk fruit extract has evolved from traditional water extraction and concentration drying to multi-stage purification technologies including ion exchange resin refining, macroporous resin refining, and alumina refining, enabling the production of high-quality products with mogroside V content ≥60%. The application of modern technologies such as continuous countercurrent extraction and spray drying has greatly improved production efficiency, reduced production costs, and achieved scaled, industrialized green production.