Danish and US university researchers engineer a heat-stable version of the world's sweetest protein

What Happened

A single amino-acid substitution developed by researchers at the Technical University of Denmark and the University of Washington lets brazzein — a plant protein up to 2,000x sweeter than sugar — survive baking and sterilization above 110°C instead of breaking down at 80°C, opening the door to sugar-free baked goods and sterilized drinks.

Why It Matters

Losing sweetness above 80°C has kept brazzein — sweeter than sugar by up to 2,000x — out of baking and sterilized drinks despite decades of interest; a single amino-acid substitution that pushes stability past 110°C removes the actual blocker.

One amino acid swap turns a lab curiosity into an oven-safe sweetener.

FET's Takeaway

A single point mutation solving a decades-old formulation blocker is a good reminder that sweetener research doesn't always need a new molecule — sometimes it needs a more stable version of one that already works at low doses.