Capparis masaikai
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Capparaceae
Genus: Capparis
Species:
C. masaikai
Binomial name
Capparis masaikai
Levl.

Capparis masaikai, known as mabinlang,[1] grows in the subtropical region of the Yunnan province of China and bear fruits of tennis-ball size. The mature seeds are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

They are also used as sweets; the seeds elicit a sweet taste when chewed.[2]

The origin of the sweet taste was identified as sweet-tasting proteins named mabinlins. They are highly sweet, 100-400 times sweeter than sucrose on a weight basis.[2][3]

References

  1. ↑ Data Portal of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Biodiversity occurrence data for Capparis masaikai H. Léveillé Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  2. 1 2 X Liu, S Maeda, Z Hu, T Aiuchi, K Nakaya, Y Kurihara. Purification, complete amino acid sequence and structural characterization of the heat-stable sweet protein, mabinlin II. Eur J Biochem 1993. 211(1–2):281-7. doi:10.1111/j.1432-1033.1993.tb19896.x PMID 8425538
  3. ↑ S Nirasawa, T Nishino, M Katahira, S Uesugi, Z Hu, Y Kurihara. Structures of heat-stable and unstable homologues of the sweet protein mabinlin. Eur J Biochem 1994, 223(3):989-95. doi:10.1111/j.1432-1033.1994.tb19077.x PMID 8055976


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