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A natural calorie-free sweetener that, after all, has components that can interact with key systems in the body.
A monkfruit (fruit-monge or Luohan Guo) is a perennial plant native to China and belonging to the cucurbit family. It is mainly known as calorie-free natural sweetener.
But scientists are finding signs that its interest may go far beyond sweetness: the fruit contains a diverse set of bioactive compounds — including antioxidants, secondary metabolites and amino acids — that may interact with key systems of the body.
A recent one analyzed in detail the “internal chemistry” of monkfruit, shifting the focus away from its use as a sugar substitute and concentrating on components that may be associated with functional and nutritional effects.
Among the compounds identified, secondary metabolites such as terpenoids and flavonoids, or amino acids, stand out.
Os terpenoides constitute a broad group of natural substances often associated with antioxidant and protective properties.
Already the flavonoids They are widely studied for their potential effects on reducing oxidative stress and for links to cardiovascular and metabolic health parameters.
Os amino acids, in turn, they are essential for protein synthesis and physiological processes such as muscle maintenance, immune response and tissue repair.
To map where these compounds concentrate, the team evaluated bark e pulp of four varieties of monk fruit, describes the .
The analysis made it possible to compare chemical profiles between parts of the fruit and between varieties, and explore how certain metabolites may interact with antioxidant receptors and other molecular targets.
These receptors function as “reception points” for chemical signals in cellsactivating biological pathways related to inflammation, metabolism and cellular protection.
The authors also emphasize that not all varieties are the same: each one can have a different metabolic profile, which has implications for both nutritional research and the food industry.
The idea is that the fine characterization of these differences will help to identify which varieties are most suitable for specific applications — and to clarify whether monkfruit could be valued not only as a sweetener, but also as a source of compounds with potential interest for health.
