Luo Han Guo (Monk Fruit) - A natural non-nutritive sweetener (NNS)
What is it?
- Luo han guo (aka. Monk Fruit /Luo han kuo / lo han kuo) is a very sweet green southern Asian fruit. Extracts (mogrosides) of luo han guo (called mogroside V or 5) are now being marketed in the West as a sweetener, although it has been around for some 800 years in China. Juice is extracted from crushed fruit using water and then filtered to obtain the mogroside V (1% of monk fruit).
- Has 10-250 times the sweetness of sugar. Amounts used are too small to significantly effect human physiology.
- This non-nutritive sweetener (NNS) sports 0 calories. In fact 0 anything nutritional.
- Supposedly does not leave an after taste
- Combined with non-GMO erythritol (a fermented sugar alcohol ) it is a remarkable replica of sugar. A patented process by Saraya, sold as Lakanto.
- Similar to xylitol and stevia, it does not produce blood sugar spikes
