Hodulcin: selective sweetness-reducing principle from Hovenia dulcis leaves

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
An aqueous extract of Hovenia dulcis leaves selectively reduced sweetness perception in humans. The taste-active principle, ‘hodulcin’, was partially purified and compared chromatographically with similarly prepared samples of the selective, sweetness-reducing compounds, gymnemic acids and ziziphins. Hodulcin appears to be a triterpene saponin glycoside, as are the gymnemic acids and ziziphins. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra indicated an hodulcin aglycone structure different from the gymnemic acids aglycone, and similar to, but not the same as the ziziphins aglycone. Future comparative studies of the actions of hodulcin, gymnemic acids and ziziphins could elucidate physiological mechanisms for the transduction and identification of sweet stimuli and aid the development of new approaches to the sweetening of foods.