Sweet Without Sugar: Ali Wing on Oobli's Protein-Based Approach to Sweetness

As sugar reduction and metabolic health continue in conversations across the nutraceutical and functional food space, a new ingredient category is emerging: sweet proteins. Oobli, Inc. describes sweet proteins as large-molecule proteins derived from fruits and berries and 1,000 times sweeter than sugar.¹ Oobli is positioning its platform as having applications spanning dairy, beverages, confections, and baked goods.

In this interview Nutritional Outlook spoke with Ali Wing, CEO of Oobli, to discuss the science behind sweet proteins, their formulation advantages, and where Oobli sees the next frontier for adoption.

For more on innovation in the sweeteners category, read the Last Bite column in the upcoming July/August issue of Nutritional Outlook.

Nutritional Outlook: Sweet proteins are described as "the world's first and only protein sweeteners," sourced from rare fruits and berries. Can you explain the science behind how a protein delivers a sugar-like taste while metabolizing differently than sugar or traditional high-intensity sweeteners?

Ali Wing: Unlike small-molecule sweeteners that bombard taste receptors, large-molecule sweet proteins actually "kiss"—or momentarily bind with—the sweet taste receptors in the mouth. That precise contact fires a neural signal confirming sweetness to the brain. Since human evolution hardwired us to seek out sugar, satisfying that instinctual trigger is what makes the taste profile feel real.

However, because these sweet proteins are too large to overstimulate receptors or linger like traditional sweetener alternatives, they simply unfold and are digested just like any other dietary protein. This means they are processed without spiking blood glucose, triggering insulin, or negatively affecting the gut microbiome. That's because they are purely proteins—not carbohydrates or carbohydrate-like molecules.

And that is where the magic happens.

Nutritional Outlook: Oobli’s energy drink prototype pairs sweet protein with taurine, caffeine, and B vitamins in a fairly classic energy drink matrix. What formulation challenges, if any, arise when combining sweet proteins with functional or nutraceutical actives like caffeine, amino acids, or botanicals?

Wing: Because sweet proteins are large molecules, they interact with taste receptors differently than traditional sugars, resulting in a slightly delayed sweetness onset. The upside is that they pair exceptionally well with other sweeteners if you need that immediate, upfront sweetness.

Additionally, because sweet proteins selectively bind to sweet taste receptors, they mask off notes purely through sweetness rather than active flavor blocking. When mitigating the bitterness or astringency of functional ingredients or high-protein bases, pairing sweet proteins with natural flavor systems provides a complete solution.

Beyond flavor dynamics, sweet proteins are remarkably stable in functional beverage matrices. In energy drink applications, we see seamless integration withactives like caffeine, taurine, and B vitamins without processing or stability conflicts.

Nutritional Outlook: A common complaint from consumers is the lingering aftertaste of sweetener alternatives. What is it about the molecular structure of sweet proteins that avoids this, and how does that change flavor formulation for functional beverages?

Wing: Traditional small-molecule sweeteners are high-intensity, but their chemical structures frequently trigger bitter taste receptors alongside sweet ones. In contrast, sweet proteins selectively engage sweet taste receptors without activating bitter pathways. Bitterness simply isn't triggered when sweet proteins bind to sweet receptors. While overdosing any high-potency sweetener can result in a lingering sweetness, sweet proteins eliminate the bitter aftertaste altogether.

From a formulation standpoint, this means beverage developers no longer need complex masking systems to cover up lingering bitterness, simplifying the overall flavor architecture.

Nutritional Outlook: GLP-1 use is reshaping how consumers think about sugar and satiety. Where do sweet proteins fit into that shift, considering Oobli markets sweet proteins as having no impact on blood sugar and no gut disruption?

Wing: GLP-1 medications have created a highly motivated, metabolically conscious consumer archetype. Sweet proteins fit this shift perfectly by addressing three core priorities for these consumers: blood glucose control, digestive tolerance, and nutrient density.

GI side effects are a primary challenge for GLP-1 users. While traditional sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners often exacerbate gut disruption, sweet proteins digest cleanly as dietary proteins—delivering pure sweetness without compounding digestive distress or spiking insulin. From a satiety standpoint, eliminating glucose spikes prevents the blood sugar crashes that trigger unwanted cravings.

Crucially, because GLP-1 consumers eat smaller total volumes of food, every bite or sip must deliver maximum nutritional value. Replacing bulky sugar or polyols with sweet proteins frees up valuable formulation space (and caloric room) for essential additions like dietary fiber and supplemental protein. This allows formulators to build truly nutrient-dense products that help GLP-1 users meet their daily macro needs.

Ultimately, these consumers aren't giving up sweetness; they are eliminating metabolic trade-offs. Sweet proteins deliver on that exact demand for GLP-1 consumers and the broader metabolic health market.

Nutritional Outlook: Oobli has both FDA GRAS confirmation as a sweetener and FEMA GRAS status as a natural flavor. Could you walk us through what that dual designation means for a manufacturer's label claims?

Wing: The dual designation gives manufacturers greater formulation flexibility as they develop products with less sugar and cleaner labels. As consumer expectations evolve, brands need ingredients that can deliver on taste while supporting different formulation and labeling objectives.

When sweet proteins are used to replace sugar under their FDA GRAS-supported use, they're declared by their appropriate ingredient name in the ingredient statement. When they're used for flavor modification under applicable FEMA GRAS conditions, they may be eligible for declaration as a natural flavor, consistent with FDA labeling requirements.

The key point is that manufacturers aren't choosing between two labeling options—they're formulating for different technical functions. That gives product developers more flexibility while ensuring the ingredient is labeled appropriately for its intended use.

Nutritional Outlook: Beyond energy drinks and your flagship chocolate line, Oobli lists sports nutrition and dairy as collaboration categories. Which nutraceutical or functional food categories do you see as the next frontier for sweet protein adoption and why?

Wing: The real power of our sweet protein platform is that it's inherently category-agnostic. Thanks to their exceptional thermal, pH, and formulation stability, sweet proteins perform across virtually every traditional food and beverage matrix—from dairy, beverages and confections to baked goods and sauces. Formulators aren't limited by matrix constraints.

When we look specifically at the next frontiers in functional foods and nutraceuticals, that baseline technical versatility is what unlocks brand-new possibilities:

• Electrolyte and Hydration Beverages: An immediate, high-growth opportunity where consumers are actively seeking sugar-free solutions with clean, fast-dissolving taste profiles.
• Functional Gummies and Chewables: Sugar content in supplement gummies creates a real 'health halo' contradiction. The stability and zero glycemic impact of sweet proteins make them an ideal tool for chewables without the gut microbiome issues of sugar alcohols.
• Metabolic Health: Products tailored for diabetes management, metabolic syndrome, and GLP-1 companion nutrition represent a deeply aligned long-term application where sweetness without blood sugar impact is vital.
• Pediatric and school nutrition formats beyond dairy are also on our radar, as sugar reduction requirements continue to tighten across school meal programs and extend beyond flavored milk and yogurt into snacks and baked goods.

Nutritional Outlook: Oobli notes that fermenting sweet proteins delivers "big climate impact savings" versus growing sugar or sugar alternatives. How significant a factor is sustainability messaging becoming in nutraceutical manufacturers' sourcing decisions, and how do you help brands quantify or communicate that impact?

Wing: Fermenting sweet proteins carries inherent environmental advantages that are massive by any metric: compared to traditional sugarcane farming, producing sweet proteins through fermentation requires 91% less land and 94% less water, while generating significantly lower carbon emissions. Beyond the raw environmental savings, regional fermentation brewing provides CPG partners with vital supply chain resilience and price stability against agricultural volatility.

What Oobli delivers to nutraceutical and CPG brands is a credible, traceable, and science-backed sustainability narrative attached to a high-performance ingredient. We help our partners quantify and communicate this impact by providing transparent production data, LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) metrics, and supply chain credentials that integrate directly into their procurement reporting and marketing.

References

1. Oobli. Sweet proteins. Accessed July 31, 2026. https://oobli.com/pages/sweet-proteins