Andrey Fursenko, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation, and Valery Falkov, Minister of Science and Higher Education, tasted desserts containing an innovative sugar substitute by EFKO. The event was held as part of the Rossiya exhibition.

Valery Falkov admitted that if he hadn't been told, he wouldn't have noticed that there was no sugar in the ice cream. Andrey Fursenko compared the innovative dessert to the Soviet Zabava Plombir and added that it tasted like a very delicious school dessert.

Andrey Fursenko,
Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation

"Science is a milestone in ensuring national security and competitiveness of the Russian economy. Now we're entering the third year of the Decade of Science and Technology. The role of scientific knowledge will only increase.

Indeed, there are interesting solutions in medicine and nutrition. As for the sweet protein project, it will be a significant breakthrough if it is implemented. We need to help developers go through and resolve all the necessary regulatory issues. It's not easy, but it's something that will be dealt with. I think the authorities will now get involved as well."

Naturally, sweet proteins were discovered at the end of the twentieth century in equatorial African plants. They are about 2 thousand times sweeter than sugar. However, their content in plants is so low that extraction would be economically pointless. It took EFKO two years to succeed in getting brazzein sweet protein in laboratory settings. Industrial technology is fully developed in the Biruch Innovation Center.

One gram of sweet protein is equally sweet as two kilos of sugar. At the same time, protein is not just a sugar substitute. It does not cause an insulin response in the blood. This means that it creates opportunities to address the issue of sweets for diabetics.

Rostislav Kovalevsky,
EFKO Innovation Director

"You can talk a lot about health, but if healthy food is unpalatable, it won't be popular. All key stages of sweet protein research have now been successfully completed. We do not doubt that certification in Russia will be acquired. It is a matter of the near future."