Analysis of Mogrosides in Siraitia grosvenorii Fruits at Different Stages of Maturity

Monk fruit extract has been approved as a natural sweetener by many countries. Its major sweet components, mogrosides, display different sweet intensities and profiles. Therefore, it is important to understand the change of mogroside contents in Siraitia grosvenorii at different maturity stages. In this study, monk fruit cultivars were collected from 4 locations in GuangXi, GuiZhou, and HuNan, at different times. Mogroside IIe, mogroside III, mogroside IIIe, mogroside IV, mogroside V, isomogroside V, and siamenoside I in each sample were quantified using high performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (LC-MS-MS). As a result, mogroside IIe was the major component at the early maturity stage. It is converted to mogroside III from 15 to 45 days, then continued the glycosylation rapidly to yield mogroside V which kept predominant after 60 days. Highly glycosylated mogrosides, such as mogroside V and siamenoside I, which provide a better taste profile, accumulated and stabilized from 75 to 90 days. It is recommended to harvest the fruit after 75 days of pollination.