How To Extract Mogrosides?

Traditional Methods:
In the past, many small workshops simply boiled the dried fruit at 95°C for 3 hours, then precipitated it with 80% alcohol. While this method could raise the total glycoside content to around 20%, the following conditions were met:
① The high temperature not only opens the cell walls of the mogroside, but also degrades vitamin C, flavonoids, and polysaccharides.
② Residual ethanol levels are often ≥5000 ppm, which would not pass residual solvent testing in the Japanese, Korean, and American markets.
③ The dark color and strong herbal flavor necessitate the addition of large amounts of flavoring to mask the flavor when added to ready-to-drink beverages.

 

New Approach:
Step 1: Microwave the fresh fruit for 45 seconds to inactivate polyphenol oxidase and reduce late-stage browning.
Step 2: Enzymatic hydrolysis with a combined cellulase and pectinase at 40°C and pH 4.5 for 90 minutes perforates the cell walls, increasing the glycoside release rate from 68% to 92%.
Step 3: Cold water countercurrent extraction at 15°C for four 15-minute sections, with a material-to-liquid ratio of 1:3, and the temperature never exceeding 45°C.
Step 4: Desalination by 200 Da nanofiltration removes 90% of potassium, calcium, and fruit acid, resulting in a cleaner taste.
Step 5: RO+ vacuum concentration reduces the solids to 35 Brix, followed by powdering in a low-temperature vacuum belt dryer at 50°C for 30 minutes. The powder achieves a total glycoside retention rate of ≥97%, a milky white to light yellow color, and a water-soluble transmittance of ≥95%.

 

Several points to note for ton-scale mass production:
Membrane flux decay: Monk fruit polysaccharides easily form a gel layer on the surface of the nanofiltration membrane, requiring pulse cleaning with 75% ethanol + 0.5% NaOH every 4 hours.
Vacuum belt drying: Keep the feed moisture level between 35% and 38%. A higher moisture level results in stickiness, while a lower moisture level results in dust.
Enzymatic hydrolysis endpoint determination: Use "glycoside dissolution rate" rather than "viscosity reduction" as the metric. Otherwise, over-enzymatic hydrolysis can easily lead to the production of bitter peptides.

 

Why is "50% mogroside powder" not necessarily more expensive than "25%"?

 

① Mogroside V percentage: Monk fruit contains 11 components, including mogrosides II, III, IV, V, and VI. Of these, only V is 300 times sweeter than sucrose and has the cleanest aftertaste. High-quality 50% powder has a glycoside V content of ≥35%. Cheaper products may have 50% total glycosides, but only 10% glycoside V, with the remainder being low-sweetness II+III, resulting in a sweet taste followed by a bitter aftertaste.

② Residual solvents: High-end production lines use "water + nanofiltration" desalination and are ethanol-free. Low-end production lines use an alcohol precipitation process, resulting in ethanol residues exceeding 5000 ppm. Export to the US requires additional irradiation, which increases costs.

③ Dissolved light transmittance: The most important indicator for ready-to-drink beverage manufacturers. When 0.1 g of high-quality powder is dissolved in 100 mL of water, the absorbance at 600 nm is ≤0.05, with no visible flocculation under sidelighting of the bottle. Cheaper powder has an absorbance of 0.2–0.3, requiring the addition of a composite emulsifier to suppress the hazy feeling.

 

④ Heavy Metals & Bacteria: If orchard soil is rich in cadmium, the cadmium content in dried fruit can exceed 0.3 ppm. Open drying in small workshops can result in a total bacterial count of 100,000+ cfu/g. Although irradiation can meet the standard, the aroma is destroyed.

Why choose SOST Mogroside V powder?

◎ With 12 years of experience in mogroside V production, we have contracted orchards covering over 2,000 hectares and process 12,000 tons of fresh fruit annually.

 

◎ We have four GMP-certified workshops, including water purification, membrane separation, and vacuum drying, with a daily production capacity of 5 tons of powder, ensuring a 25-day delivery time even during peak season.

 

◎ We have a full range of grades available, ranging from 10% to 60%. Our Certificate of Acidity Assay (COA) includes information on glycoside V content, dissolved light transmittance, bacterial counts, and heavy metals, supporting third-party re-inspection.

 

◎ We offer a free recipe library for solid beverages, ready-to-drink teas, zero-sugar gel candies, and Vcaps vegetarian capsules, providing comprehensive recipes, labeling, and regulatory claims.

 

◎ We have export experience with a full range of registration numbers for the US, Canada, EU, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and ASEAN. We can also provide FDA GRAS, EU & NOP organic, Halal, and Vegan certifications with our products.

 

◎ Contact Email:info@sostherbusa.com