Monkfruit is a natural sweetener with zero calories , no impact on blood sugar and no aftertaste that in recent years has become one of the most used in American sugar-free sweet products.
What is Monkfruit
Monkfruit (Luo Han Guo extract) or "monk fruit" is a natural zero-calorie sweetener obtained from the fruit of the monk plant, native to southern China and used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine.
Advantages of Monkfruit over Erythritol and Stevia
Monkfruit has several advantages over polyols but also over stevia which could be considered the most similar sweetener in terms of type (both are extracted from plants). Compared to erythritol it has a very high sweetening power (up to 200 times sweeter than sugar while erythritol sweetens 30% less than sugar) and this means that much less is used. Compared to stevia (but also to erythritol and xylitol) it tastes more like sugar and has no aftertaste.
Potential Health Benefits of Monkfruit
The first benefit is undoubtedly that it is a natural sweetener without calories or carbohydrates and which has no impact on blood sugar levels , this is because it is made up of natural compounds called mogrosides, which are not metabolised by the body. It can therefore be an excellent ally for both diabetics and those who follow a slimming diet or simply want to avoid added sugar.
However, several studies have shown that monkfruit can also boast antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties (it is not for nothing that it has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries).
Monkfruit side effects and safety
The FDA (Food and Drug Administration, the US body that regulates food and drugs) approved it in 2010 as safe for human consumption and in fact it has already been widely used for some years in American sugar-free sweet products. The studies carried out so far on its safety do not show any side effects to its use but are obviously limited especially in terms of time as it has only recently been used on a large scale as a sweetener.
At the time of writing (May 2023) in Europe it has not yet been approved either for production or for trade, which means that EFSA has not yet established that it is safe to consume it and/or in what quantity it would possibly be.
It can be found for sale in online stores that import it from America in violation of the law or buy it directly in the UK or USA, however, risking that a customs control will be seized.
