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Gymnemic acids are glycosides isolated from the leaves of Gymnema sylvestre (Asclepiadaceae). Gymnemic acids like ziziphin and hodulcine are anti-sweet compounds, or sweetness inhibitors. After chewing the leaves, solutions sweetened with sucrose taste like water.
Gymnemic acid [1]? itself is C43H66O14 (it has a 5 ring core with an attached sugar).
The simplest is gymnemagenin, C30H50O6. The other members have variations at up to four sites around the 5 ring core.
More than 20 homologues of gymnemic acid are found in the leaves. Gymnemic acid 1 has the highest anti-sweet properties. It suppresses the sweetness of most of the sweeteners including intense artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and natural sweeteners such as thaumatin, a sweet protein. The anti-sweet activity is reversible, but sweetness recovery on the tongue can take more than 10 minutes.
