BarMatin^TM
Healthy sweet

BarMatin^TM is a new protein expression system in kernels of barley (Hordeum vulgare => Barley) for the healthy sweetener thaumatin. The invention is claimed by an international patent (Pub. No.: US 2009/031458 A1), which protects the molecular details in order to prevent imitation. The patent owner and the marketing platform is the same company, BarMatin UG.

BarMatin^TM can reduce, in combination with an alternative sweetener, the daily calorie intake significantly without compromising on sweetness or triggering a secondary calorie appetite.

That thaumatin, in combination with other sweeteners, can reduce glucose and insulin levels have been recently shown in the SWEET beverage trial (see Almiron-Roiget et al., (2023) Impact of acute consumption of beverages containing plant-based or alternative sweetener blends on postprandial appetite, food intake, metabolism, and gastro-intestinal symptoms: Results of the SWEET beverages trial. Appetite (184): 1-12). BarMatin^TM therefore has the potential to quickly fulfil an increasing demand for sugar substitutes while ensuring a high quality.  The system is optimized for extracting, with high efficiency, the extremely sweet protein found in the flour body (endosperm) of a barley kernel. This is the result of years of intensive research and development activities.

The picture on the left shows BarMatinTM after germination and the one on the right shows them shortly before harvesting. These propagations were conducted in Hungary in the past and an average yield of about 20 kg of purified thaumatin per ha could be achieved. For an equivalent amount, about 3.33 t katamfe fruits are required.

The picture above shows BarMatinTM after germination in
and the one below shows them shortly before harvesting. These propagations were conducted in Hungary in the past and an average yield of about 20 kg of purified thaumatin per ha could be achieved. For an equivalent amount, about 3.33 t katamfe fruits are required.

Compared to native thaumatin, alternative production methods with other organisms and sweeteners involving, BarMatin^TM offers several advantages for industrial application and the environment:

• Simple cultivable anywhere
• Extremely low production cost
• Maximized expression rate per kg of harvested amount
• Simple storage of the sweetener over years
• No need of rain forest clearance
• Highly efficient extraction and a 2,500-3,000-fold sweetening effect compared to sucrose allow an environment-friendly production of sweetness. In comparison to sugar beet and cane, a smaller acreage is required, and the need of pesticides and fertilizers is clearly lower
• Greenhouse cultivation with several harvestings per year is possible
• Simply by milling the flour, the sweetener can be used for all kind of food products
• Very good sensory characters in comparison to other sweeteners
• No carbohydrate-based sweeteners and, for that reason, optimally useable for diabetic nutrition
• No known side effects, and in several countries, the protein is officially graded as non-critical (e. g. by the Food and Drug Administration [FDA], USA, and classified as Generally Recognised as Safe [GRAS])

Thus, BarMatin^TM   has a broad industrial application potential as a sweetener for food, pharmaceutical, and beverage industries. It can be used alone or in well balanced mixtures together with other sweeteners. BarMatin^TM is a ready-to-use ingredient that can be easily established in existing commodity processing chains. Thaumatin is an excellent substitute for sucrose, which is one of the major factors causing diabetes mellitus (especially type 2) and adiposity. In industrial countries particularly these diseases have increased dramatically in the past few decades, and the World Health Organization (WHO) therefore limits the percentage of sucrose to a maximum of 5 % of the daily calorie intake.