Two ice cream recipes containing brazzein instead of sugar caused roughly half the rise in blood sugar after consumption compared with a conventional ice cream, according to a new study in Clinical Nutrition ESPEN. The trial involved 101 adults with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, known as MASLD. The result concerns these specific recipes and the short-term blood sugar response. The researchers note that they cannot attribute the difference exclusively to brazzein because the sugar-free ice creams also differed in other ingredients.
Brazzein is a protein originally identified in a West African fruit and can be up to 2,000 times sweeter than sugar by weight. Today, it is produced mainly with the help of genetically modified fungi, while the report says the body processes it easily and naturally. Interest in its use is linked to the search for ways to reduce dietary sugar without losing sweetness. At the same time, questions have been raised about the effects of artificial sweeteners, strengthening the search for alternatives.
Researchers at the Federal Research Center of Nutrition, Biotechnology and Food Safety in Russia conducted the study using a randomized, double-blind crossover design. Each participant ate a 100-gram serving of vanilla ice cream on three separate days, trying each of the three versions in turn. One contained sugar, the second brazzein, and the third brazzein together with inulin, a dietary fiber. The comparison therefore relied on the same people's responses to the different recipes, with a consistent serving size and flavor.
Both sugar-free versions were associated with significantly smaller increases in blood sugar after eating, roughly half those caused by the ice cream containing sugar. The reduction was more pronounced among participants with type 2 diabetes but remained substantial among those without diabetes. No serious adverse events were reported during the trial. The researchers believe the findings justify further investigation of these recipes as options for replacing sugar, although they do not yet establish long-term benefits or safety.
Replacing sugar in ice cream requires more than adding another sweetener because sugar also contributes to the product's volume and viscosity. The study's recipes used additional ingredients to achieve characteristics similar to those of conventional ice cream. These differences matter when interpreting the results: the trial compared complete recipes and did not isolate the protein's effect. Brazzein withstands temperatures of up to 80 degrees Celsius and a wide range of acidity levels, properties that, according to the report, could allow its use in different foods.
The researchers link this approach to a practical difficulty with dietary recommendations: sweet foods and drinks are deeply embedded in daily habits worldwide. They argue that broadly excluding products such as ice cream, desserts and sweets is often unrealistic and can make it harder to follow recommendations. Creating alternative recipes allows sugar to be reduced without requiring these foods to be removed entirely. This particular trial, however, did not show whether consumers would adopt and maintain such a dietary change.
An important limitation is that all participants had MASLD, a condition in which fat accumulates in the liver and which often coexists with obesity and diabetes. Many had also been diagnosed with obesity, so the sample represented a limited section of the population. The findings are insufficient to draw conclusions about the general population's response. The study also provides no evidence of effects on liver fat, diabetes, blood pressure or other related conditions over months or years.
The results add to earlier research in mice that had suggested brazzein's potential as a sugar substitute. The team is now calling for longer studies that replace sugar in more foods consumed daily. These should examine whether repeated use of such products leads to lasting metabolic benefits or changes in the liver, microbiome and behavior. For now, the finding provides a basis for further research into reducing sugar, with clear limits on what has already been demonstrated.
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