Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 24, 2026

Structural Biology and Analytical Chemistry Approaches for Characterizing C-Glycoside Metabolic Enzymes in Human Gut Microbiota
Published on: May 23, 2025
Hydrolysis patterns of enzymatically modified steviol glycosides.
Myeong Ji Kim1, Jeong-Eun Lee1, Young-Sam Keum1
1College of Pharmacy and Integrated Research Institute for Drug Development, Dongguk University-Seoul, Goyang 10326, Republic of Korea.
Enzymatically modified steviol glycosides (EMS) degrade differently in acid than natural stevia, forming a unique byproduct. This discovery is key for accurately analyzing stevia-based sweeteners.
Area of Science:
- Food Chemistry
- Analytical Chemistry
- Organic Chemistry
Background:
- Steviol glycosides (stevia) are natural sweeteners.
- Enzymatically modified steviol glycosides (EMS) offer improved palatability.
- Understanding EMS degradation is crucial for quality control.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the acidic degradation pathway of EMS.
- Identify and characterize byproducts formed during EMS acid hydrolysis.
- Compare degradation products of EMS with natural stevia.
Main Methods:
- Acid hydrolysis of EMS and natural stevia.
- Structural elucidation using HRMS, NMR, and X-ray diffraction.
- Comparative High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis.
Main Results:
- EMS acid hydrolysis yields ent-13-hydroxykaur-15-en-19-oic acid (compound 1) as a major byproduct.
- Natural stevia glycosides primarily yield isosteviol under acidic conditions.
- Compound 1 formation is dependent on pH and time, and is significantly higher in EMS than in natural stevia.
Conclusions:
- Extensive glucosylation in EMS alters the steviol backbone's chemical behavior under acidic conditions.
- A new degradation pathway exists for EMS compared to natural stevia.
- Analytical methods for steviol equivalents should include compound 1 for accurate EMS assessment.
More Related Videos
11:49Sequencing of Plant Wall Heteroxylans Using Enzymic, Chemical Methylation and Physical Mass Spectrometry, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Techniques
Published on: March 24, 2016
09:54Identification and Characterization of Protein Glycosylation using Specific Endo- and Exoglycosidases
Published on: December 26, 2011
Related Concept Videos
Hydrolysis
Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction in which the addition of water breaks down a polymer into its simpler monomer units. For example, peptides break into amino acids, carbohydrates into simple sugars, and DNA into nucleotides. Enzymes often facilitate these processes.
Hydrolysis Reverses Dehydration Synthesis
Complex carbohydrates can be broken down by breaking the bonds between individual sugar units. The reaction breaks a glycosidic bond as water is added to the compound. The...
Oligosaccharide Assembly
Multiple sugar molecules that may or may...
Esters to Carboxylic Acids: Saponification
The reaction requires a base in stoichiometric amounts, which participates in the reaction and is not regenerated later. So, the base acts as a...
Introduction to Carbohydrates
Biosynthesis of Polysaccharides