https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.4c09392

Stevia, an herb plant of the Asteraceae family, accumulates the sweeteners rebaudioside D and rebaudioside M, but the accumulation of these sweeteners within the stevia plant is limited. By using an improved enzyme in which one amino acid in UGT91D2, the enzyme that synthesizes rebaudioside D and rebaudioside M, was replaced, the accumulation of these ingredients was increased by about 10 times in leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana

The work was done In collaboration with the RIKEN, Suntory Global Innovation Center, and the Graduate School of Engineering at Osaka University.