Chocolate, cola, cookies, and even ketchup: a lot of our food contains sugar. This sugar provides the sweet taste, but it also has drawbacks: it's high in calories, damages our teeth, and can cause chronic diseases like diabetes. That's why Manon Steynen of the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering is trying to convert unhealthy sugar into healthy sugar.
What exactly are you researching?
“I'm looking for the 'holy grail' of sugars: a sugar that's healthy, but otherwise resembles the sugar we know. This means the sugar has to be tasty and sweet, have a pleasant mouthfeel, and be usable at high temperatures, for example, to bake a cake.”
How do you create such a new sugar?
“There are many sugars in nature: I think of them as a box full of Lego blocks. In the lab, I take them apart until I have just one Lego block left: a monosaccharide. Using enzymes—which are also found in nature—I then try to link new Lego blocks together. If I link two monosaccharides together, I have a disaccharide. This way, I create different combinations, just like building a tower with Lego blocks. If I succeed, I've developed a new sugar.”
"That sounds simple, but it isn't. Sometimes nothing at all happens when I'm 'building' a sugar in the lab. I have to retry so often. Research is always a bit of a struggle."
What happens when you've developed a new sugar?
"Then we produce it in a slightly larger quantity, up to 100 grams. That's always an exciting moment, because it's the first time I can actually see my new sugar. When a white powder appears, I'm happy. Sometimes it's also a disappointment, for example, when a gel or syrup appears."
And then... taste it?
"Yes, of course we want to know how sweet the sugar tastes. A trained test panel tastes the new sugar and compares it with traditional table sugar."
It's also important to know what our digestive system does with the new sugar. That's why I conduct digestion tests, using digestive enzymes from rat intestines. After all, a rat's digestive system is similar to a human's. Of course, there are also differences between rat and human intestines, so eventually we'll also test the new sugar in more complex models that mimic the human digestive system.
What do you hope to see in these digestion tests?
If the structure of the new sugar differs enough from regular sugar, our digestive system doesn't recognize it properly. This means it's less harmful to our teeth and we absorb fewer calories from it. If the new sugar isn't broken down or is broken down slowly, it also doesn't cause a spike in blood sugar levels, which is better for diabetics.
How unique is your sugar?
The sugar I developed also occurs naturally in honey, albeit in very small quantities. I discovered how we can efficiently produce this sugar in larger quantities.
"Oh, that's going to take a while. This sugar was only discovered last year, and many steps are needed before it's available in stores. Think of the taste and digestion tests, all under the watchful eye of an ethics committee, but also the scaling up and the legal aspects are important. Besides, sugar isn't just used in food, but also in medicines and cosmetics."
What are you looking forward to?
"I'm currently finishing my PhD, so I'm especially looking forward to completing it. My ultimate dream is, of course, to see my sugar on the market. The initial interest from the industry really gave me a sense of confirmation. I would also love it if my research could help in the fight against diabetes."
Did you always want to be a researcher?
"No, I actually wanted to be a dancer (laughs). During my bioengineering studies, I discovered I loved doing research, and that's how I ended up here in the lab. I still enjoy it now, but I do find a PhD environment lonely. In my next job, I'd prefer to work with a team of colleagues on an innovative product, for example, in the food industry or biotechnology."
Has this research changed you?
"Yes, because of my research, I'm more focused on healthy eating. Sugar consumption in our society is simply too high. I'm now more mindful of what I eat: I try to eat more fiber and less sugar. Everything in moderation, of course; it's also important to continue to enjoy tasty things." (laughs)
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