Curculin Totally Explained

Everything about Curculin totally explained

Curculin is a sweet protein that was discovered and isolated in 1990 from the fruit of Curculigo latifolia (Hypoxidaceae), a plant from Malaysia. Like miraculin, curculin exhibits activity; however unlike miraculin, it also exhibits a "sweet-taste" by itself. After consumption of curculin, water and sour solutions taste sweet.

Protein structure

Curculin is a homodimer consisting of two monomeric units connected through two disulfide bridges. Each mature monomer weighs 12.5 kDa and consists of a sequence of 114 amino acids.
SIGNAL (22): MAAKFLLTIL VTFAAVASLG MA 1-50: DNVLLSGQTL HADHSLQAGA YTLTIQNKCN LVKYQNGRQI WASNTDRRGS 51-100: GCRLTLLSDG NLVIYDHNNN DVWGSACWGD NGKYALVLQK DGRFVIYGPV 101-114: LWSLGPNGCR RVNG PROPEP (22): GITVAKDSTE PQHEDIKMVI NN Amino acid sequence of sweet protein curculin adapted from Swiss-Prot biological database of protein sequences.

Sweetness properties

Curculin is considered to be a high-intensity sweetener, with a reported relative sweetness of 430-2070 times sweeter than sucrose on a weight basis.
   A sweet taste, equivalent to a 6.8% or 12% sucrose solution, was observed after holding curculin in the mouth in combination with clear water or acidified water (citric acid), respectively. The sweet taste lasts for 5 minutes with water and 10 minutes with an acidic solution. and acetic acid.
   The taste-modifying activity of curculin is reduced in the presence of ions with two positive charges (such as Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺) in neutral pH solutions, although these ions have no effect in acidic solutions. In the same way, monovalent ions (such as Na⁺ and Cl^-) have no effect in solutions with either neutral or acidic pH. However, a 2004 study obtained a recombinant curculin, expressed in E.coli, exhibiting "taste-modifying" and "sweet-tasting" properties.
   In addition to challenges related to commercial production of the protein, there are many regulatory and legal issues remaining to be resolved before it can be marketed as a sweetener. Curculin currently has no legal status in European Union and United States. However it's approved in Japan as a harmless additive, according to the List of Existing Food Additives established by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (English publication by JETRO).

Further Information

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