Mogroside

A mogroside is a glycoside of cucurbitane derivatives found in certain plants, such as the fruit of the gourd vine, "luo han guo" ("Siraitia grosvenorii", or monkfruit). Mogrosides are extracted from "S. grosvenorii" and used in the manufacture of sugar substitutes.
Mogrosides.
Mogrosides include:
Mogroside V is the main component of "Siraitia grosvenorii" fruit, constituting 0.5% to 1.4% of the dried fruit.
Biosynthesis.
One analysis of 200 candidate genes of "Siraitia grosvenorii" revealed five enzyme families involved in the synthesis of mogroside V: squalene epoxidases, triterpenoid synthases, epoxide hydrolases, cytochrome P450s, and UDP-glucosyltransferases. The metabolic pathway for mogroside biosynthesis involves an initial stage of fruit development when squalene is metabolized to di-glucosylated, tetra-hydroxycucurbitadienols, then during fruit maturation, branched glucosyl groups are added and catalyzed, leading to the sweet M4, M5, and M6 mogrosides.
Uses.
Some mogrosides are used in traditional Chinese medicine and some are extracted for manufacturing as sweeteners. Mogroside V extract from "S. grosvenorii" fruit is 250 times sweeter than sucrose.