Low-sugar chocolate trailblazer receives ‘no questions’ FDA letter for its star ingredient

Dive Brief:

• Oobli, a sweet protein maker known for its healthy sugar alternatives, has received a “No questions” letter from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, which will allow it to use its sweetener product in food and beverages, the company announced Wednesday. 
• The approval marks the ingredient, which is scientifically known as brazzein, as Generally Recognized as Safe for use as an ingredient. Oobli is the first company to receive such recognition from the FDA for a sweet protein. 
• “Oobli is changing the future of sweetness through the use of sweet proteins as a replacement for traditional cane sugar and other alternative sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, stevia and erythritol,” said Jason Ryder, Oobli founder and chief technology officer in a statement.

Dive Insight:

Sweet proteins are a class of proteins that have sugar-like sweetness, but don’t affect blood sugar in the same way traditional sugar does as the ingredients are synthesized as a protein by the body. 

Oobli’s fruit sweet protein is derived from fruits that are primarily found in West Africa, and other equatorial environments, according to Ryder, who is also an adjunct professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.

The company’s brand name and sweet protein platform “Oobli” was inspired by West African villagers who originally described the oubli fruit as being “so sweet it makes children forget their mother’s milk.”

“The ‘No questions’ letter from the FDA is a further testament to the strong potential that sweet proteins have to disrupt our global dependence on sugar and alternative sweeteners,” Ali Wing, the company’s CEO, said in a statement. “It can replace 70% or more of sugar in most food and beverages such as sodas, teas, baked goods and more, making the opportunities to reduce our sugar consumption endless.”

The demand for natural sweeteners in North America is mainly due to the growing trend of healthy food, according to a report from Mordor Intelligence. The global alternative sweetener market is growing at a compound annual growth rate of 4.3% from 2020-2025, with the

Increased number of consumers suffering from diabetes and obesity is fueling its popularity. 

Oobli sells products with its sweet fruit protein products like milk and dark chocolates, as well as a line of craft-brewed, low-sugar Sweet Teas.

The milk chocolates launched late last year, and are described as the first low-sugar milk chocolate bars that do not contain artificial sweeteners. They come in four varieties — Cocoa Dreams, Let’s Go Nuts, Almond Crunch and Crisp ’n Rice — and contain 4 grams of sugar and 9 to 10 grams of fiber per serving. The dark chocolates were launched in 2022, before relaunching in February 2023 with a new formulation that improved their taste.

Many consumers and industry executives are still unaware of sweet proteins’ nutritional profile and functionality, according to the company, which the FDA letter could change.