Sweetener compositions useful as non-caloric replacements for sugars in food and beverages are provided by combinations of monk fruit extract (containing mogroside V) with rebaudioside A and B, which have improved taste profiles as compared to other non-caloric sweeteners.

A method of attenuating a postprandial insulin response comprising administering to a subject a composition comprising at last one sugar alcohols, monk fruit, a rheology modifier, and tagatose wherein a subject ingesting a carbohydrate-containing food comprising the composition experiences a decrease in the postprandial insulin response of from about 10% to about 90% for a time period ranging from about 15 minutes to about 180 minutes subsequent to ingestion of the carbohydrate-containing food when compared to the postprandial insulin response of a subject ingesting an otherwise identical carbohydrate-containing food comprising an equivalent amount of sucrose.

A method of attenuating a postprandial insulin response comprising administering to a subject a composition comprising at last one sugar alcohols, monk fruit, a rheology modifier, and tagatose wherein a subject ingesting a carbohydrate-containing food comprising the composition experiences a decrease in the postprandial insulin response of from about 10% to about 90% for a time period ranging from about 15 minutes to about 180 minutes subsequent to ingestion of the carbohydrate-containing food when compared to the postprandial insulin response of a subject ingesting an otherwise identical carbohydrate-containing food comprising an equivalent amount of sucrose.

Beverage products are disclosed comprising at least one fruit juice, at least one sweetener, probiotic bacteria, and beta-glucan, where the beverage product has a pH of at most 4.5 and an acid level of 0.5%-1.0%. In certain exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, the beverage product has the characteristic that if tested after 45 days of storage in hermetically sealed individually sized 12 fl. oz. PET vessels stored in the dark or in otherwise UV shielded conditions at a refrigeration temperature of 35 F. the beverage product has an increased shelf life when compared to the same beverage product without beta glucan. Methods are provided for making such beverage products with extended probiotic stability.

Beverage products are disclosed comprising at least one fruit juice, at least one sweetener, probiotic bacteria, and beta-glucan, where the beverage product has a pH of at most 4.5 and an acid level of 0.5%-1.0%. In certain exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, the beverage product has the characteristic that if tested after 45 days of storage in hermetically sealed individually sized 12 fl. oz. PET vessels stored in the dark or in otherwise UV shielded conditions at a refrigeration temperature of 35 F. the beverage product has an increased shelf life when compared to the same beverage product without beta glucan. Methods are provided for making such beverage products with extended probiotic stability.

The present invention provides a process for preparation of highly purified mogrosides mixture from low purity mogrosides mixture. The process comprises providing a mixture of low purity mogrosides, dissolving the low purity mogrosides mixture in water or an aqueous alcohol solution to form an initial solution of mogrosides, passing the initial solution through a column system, wherein the column system comprises a plurality of columns, and each column is packed with a sorbent having different affinities to impurities and mogrosides so that one or more columns retains more mogrosides than other columns, washing the columns to remove impurities with an acidic aqueous solution, a basic aqueous solution, and an aqueous alcoholic solution successively, eluting the columns with an aqueous alcohol solution that contains higher alcohol content than the aqueous alcohol solution used in the washing step, wherein the eluate from the columns with high content of mogrosides are combined, and drying the combined eluate to obtain high purity mogrosides with the content of the total mogrosides are more than 70% (w/w). The present invention also provides a sweetener mixture and product comprising high purity mogrosides.

The present invention provides a process for preparation of highly purified mogrosides mixture from low purity mogrosides mixture. The process comprises providing a mixture of low purity mogrosides, dissolving the low purity mogrosides mixture in water or an aqueous alcohol solution to form an initial solution of mogrosides, passing the initial solution through a column system, wherein the column system comprises a plurality of columns, and each column is packed with a sorbent having different affinities to impurities and mogrosides so that one or more columns retains more mogrosides than other columns, washing the columns to remove impurities with an acidic aqueous solution, a basic aqueous solution, and an aqueous alcoholic solution successively, eluting the columns with an aqueous alcohol solution that contains higher alcohol content than the aqueous alcohol solution used in the washing step, wherein the eluate from the columns with high content of mogrosides are combined, and drying the combined eluate to obtain high purity mogrosides with the content of the total mogrosides are more than 70% (w/w). The present invention also provides a sweetener mixture and product comprising high purity mogrosides.

A food or beverage having (a) a natural sugar in an amount corresponding to a sweetness intensity X1, (b) a high-intensity sweetener in an amount corresponding to a sweetness intensity X2, and (c) less than 40 mg/100 ml of sodium, wherein (1) ingredients (a) to (c) exhibit a sweetness intensity X3 is exhibited by the, and (2) energy is 50 Kcal/100 ml or less, and wherein 0.1<(X1+X2)<X320 is satisfied. Also, a sweetening composition for producing the food or beverage, and a method for producing the food or beverage.

A food or beverage having (a) a natural sugar in an amount corresponding to a sweetness intensity X1, (b) a high-intensity sweetener in an amount corresponding to a sweetness intensity X2, and (c) less than 40 mg/100 ml of sodium, wherein (1) ingredients (a) to (c) exhibit a sweetness intensity X3 is exhibited by the, and (2) energy is 50 Kcal/100 ml or less, and wherein 0.1<(X1+X2)<X320 is satisfied. Also, a sweetening composition for producing the food or beverage, and a method for producing the food or beverage.