A sweeter future? AI helps scientists discover new sugar substitutes

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Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem used AI and molecular modeling to screen more than 50 million compounds, identifying 92 candidates for new sugar substitutes. The approach aims to speed sweetener discovery and address the problem of bitter aftertastes.

Researchers Dr. Shayma El-Atawneh and professor Amiram Goldblum at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have developed a new computational framework that identified 92 promising candidates for future sugar substitutes from more than 50 million chemical compounds. The study, published in the journal Food Chemistry, demonstrates how artificial intelligence and molecular modeling could accelerate the discovery of new sweeteners while helping overcome one of the industry's persistent challenges: unwanted bitter aftertastes.