Asia is the hometown of monk fruit （Luo Han Guo), especially Guilin in China. Its application in traditional Chinese medicine has a history of thousands of years. Monk fruit extract is a kind of zero-calorie, pure natural sweetener. It tastes sweeter than stevia and has no bitterness. The application in the fields of ice cream, biscuits and soft drinks is increasing. It is especially suitable for diabetics and those who want to control sugar intake.
The new favorite of the market
With the increase of consumers’ health awareness, low-sugar, hypoglycemic, and no-sugar has become an irreversible health trend. Various signs also show that monk fruit extract is another new favorite in the market after stevia, and the overall market is in a rapid growth stage. Market demand will further increase.
Application of monk fruit extract
At present, the market application of monk fruit extract is continuously expanding, from traditional meal replacement sugar to food and beverage to nutrition and health products. For example, Cumberland Packing of the United States adds monk fruit extract to its original brand Raw series of meal replacement sugar products, which has a sweet, clean taste. For the baking industry, the application of this product can replace half of the use of sugar, mainly because sugar will affect the humidity and texture of the product. At the same time, Prairie Farms, an American dairy product company, has launched a product that is a mixture of sugar and monk fruit extract, which can achieve the purpose of reducing blood sugar without affecting the taste.
As a substitute for sucrose, monk fruit tastes close to sugar, and its sweetness is 200-300 times. Its application in natural products is increasing. In addition, monk fruit extract can also be used in energy & nutrition bars, energy, protein and muscle recovery beverages, and dietary supplement products.
Ice cream is another new growth point in the application of monk fruit. The A Little Less Indulgent series of ice cream launched by the American company Graeter contains monk fruit extract, which has lower sugar content and calories than traditional ice cream. At present, the series of products are divided into mint, vanilla, chocolate and other flavors. Other products containing monk fruit extract include: Zevia carbonated drinks, Chobani Simply 100 Greek yogurt, Kellogg’s cinnamon oatmeal cereal.
The combination of monk fruit and stevia
Under normal circumstances, monk fruit and stevia will appear in the product ingredient list at the same time. The combination of the two can produce a good taste and avoid the bitter taste produced by using stevia products alone. At the same time, the cost of these two combinations is much lower than using monk fruit alone. Stevia has a lower cost, and monk fruit has a high market price due to limited supply of raw materials. Stevia has developed a considerable scale in the market. Monk fruit has attracted the attention of formulators due to its health effects and excellent taste. It has become a new favorite in the natural sweetener market.
Conclusion
As far as the global consumer market is concerned, the consumption of monk fruit extract is mainly concentrated in the United States, Europe, and Japan. It is in an outbreak period. All major well-known manufacturers are developing related products, including Dove, Nestlé, Wyeth, Starbucks, etc. With the accelerating trend of lowering sugar, Monk fruit, the new favorite of the market, has a promising future.
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