Mogroside
Monk fruit extract is derived from the fruit of Siraitia grosvenorii, a perennial vine native to southern China, and a member of the Cucurbitaceae family. Previous scientific names of this plant are Momordica grosvenorii and Thaldiantha grosvenorii.
Alternative common names of the fruit include luo han guo, longevity fruit, the Buddha’s fruit and arhat fruit. The monk fruit itself has been used whole or in dried powder form for many centuries in China in beverages and traditional medicines. Monk fruit extract became recognised for its potential use as an intense sweetener in the mid-1970s, where water and ethanol extraction of the principle component of the monk fruit resulted in an intensely sweet substance.
Monk fruit extract-containing food products are already permitted in a number of countries overseas, including in the US since 2007. The components of the monk fruit extract that impart the sweetness are collectively known as mogrosides (cucurbitane triterpene glycosides). Pure mogroside V is the primary component, exhibiting a sweetness of between 250 and 400 times that of sucrose.
Monk fruit extract is claimed to have a number of advantages over other already approved intense sweeteners. In particular, it has a relative lack of bitter taste compared with certain other intense sweeteners, for example, saccharin and acesulfame K. It can be used as a sugar substitute in baking (as it has high temperature stability and no unpleasant aftertaste).