China-based Bestzyme, a synthetic biology company under GenScript Biotech, has recently announced the completion of the world’s first dedicated, automated smart production line for sweet proteins at its Jinan facility.
Dr. Bai Aixi, General Manager of Bestzyme, noted that the real challenge in sugar reduction is not simply removing sugar, but replicating the pure, full-bodied, natural taste of sucrose while removing calories and metabolic burden. The company’s flagship product, Mellia® Brazzein sweet protein, is not a simple replacement for traditional sweeteners, but rather the ‘final piece of the puzzle’ in sweetener formulations. It can efficiently blend with existing sweeteners such as Stevia and Monk fruit to achieve complete, rounded sweetness. With a clean label and no impact on blood sugar, Mellia® means ‘zero sugar’ no longer requires a compromise on taste – it’s an upgrade.
Brazzein, derived from the West African Oubli fruit, is thousands of times sweeter than sucrose, with virtually no glycemic impact and zero calories. However, due to low host expression levels and extreme difficulty in separation and purification, it has long remained at the laboratory stage. Bestzyme, with over a decade of expertise in industrial enzymes and biocatalysis, has successfully overcome high-density fermentation.
The new Jinan facility spans 5,000 sq.meters and features a fully automated ‘fermentation – purification – freeze-drying’ process. Once operational, it will have an annual capacity of 100 tonnes of Mellia® sweet protein. Based on high-purity Brazzein sweetness conversion, this is equivalent to the sweetness of 300,000 tons of sucrose annually. The facility’s capacity is expected to double within 2 years.
The US market is the first to launch a product using this new sweetness solution technology. Mellia® partnered with an innovative sparkling water brand in the US to bring a product to market achieving zero sugar with full-bodied sweetness, gaining consumer recognition and entering the “1 to N” scale-up phase.
On the regulatory front, Mellia® received a ‘No Questions Letter’ from the US FDA in April 2025, confirming its GRAS status, alongside regulatory progress underway in several other countries and regions.
Globally, companies that have integrated ‘R&D + owned production + application solutions’ capabilities are extremely rare globally. Bestzyme is the first to achieve this, providing customers in the global food and beverage industry with structural guarantees in supply stability, responsiveness and quality control.
