Oobli announces GRAS status of its Monellin novel sweet protein

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Oobli (Davis, CA) has announced the receipt of a “no questions” letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in response to its GRAS (generally recognized as safe) notification for monellin, a novel sweet protein found in the fruit of the West African shrub, Dioscoreophyllum cumminsii (serendipity berry). Prior to this, another sweet protein from Oobli called brazzein also received a “no questions” GRAS letter. Brazzein is made from the oubli fruit, also from West Africa, and according to the company, is 500-2,000 times sweeter than sucrose, is heat stable and highly soluble.

According to Oobli, plant-based sweet proteins can be a cost-effective sweetener option, with the potential to replace more than 70% of sugar in most food and beverages, including soda, baked goods, and candy. The company states that food companies like Grupo Bimbo are working closely with Ooblie to integrate sweet proteins into their product formulations.

“Having additional sweet proteins on the Oobli platform will enable companies across the globe to focus on ways to reduce sugar without compromising taste. It’s like having more tools in the toolkit,” said Jason Ryder, founder and CTO at Oobli, in a press release. “Food is a complex system, and when we replace sweetness in a food or beverage application, all the ingredients come into play. This is why we're so committed to approaching sweet proteins as a platform; offering more sweetener solutions to our partners.”

The company also announced that Geoffrey Duyk MD, PhD. and Heather Malenshek would be joining Oobli’s Board of Directors. Duyk was formerly VP of Research at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, President/CSO at Exelixis Pharmaceuticals and a partner at TPG/TPG Biotech, bringing with him a strong expertise in technology, medicine, and science. Malenshek has 30 years of marketing experience, leading brands such as Land O’ Lakes, and Harley Davidson.

“Our new board members, including Geoff Duyk MD and Heather Malenshek, bring an unparalleled level of expertise and knowledge that will help grow Oobli’s protein platform to bring change to our food system and how we make sweet foods,” said Ali Wing, CEO at Oobli. “Our additional scientific advisory board members Chris Damman M.D and Francine Kaufman M.D. round out Oobli’s focus on clinical research in areas including the gut microbiome, blood sugar and insulin response.”