Background

R. suavissimus (Rubus suavissimus S. Lee), also known as Chinese sweet tea, is a deciduous shrub of the genus Rubus in the family Rosaceae in China. R. suavissimus leaves contain various chemical components with excellent physiological functions, making them both drinkable as tea and medicinal. Moreover, rubusoside, regarded as the main sweet component in R. suavissimus, is an ideal sweetener with the characteristics of high sweetness and low-calorie. However, less attention has been paid to R. suavissimus, which hinders its popularization and application.

Scope and approach

This paper comprehensively summarizes the research progress on the nutritional components of R. suavissimus leaves, including chemical structure, extraction methods, health benefits, and mechanism of action, as well as expounds on the application status of R. suavissimus. Additionally, the production of rubusoside through biotransformation and biosynthesis is concerned.

Key findings and conclusions

R. suavissimus leaves are rich in nutrients such as rubusoside, polyphenols, flavonoids, and polysaccharides, which can resist allergies, reduce inflammation, prevent dental caries, regulate glucose and lipid metabolism, and are widely applied in the fields of food, beverages, medicine, and skincare. As the main sweet component, rubusoside is expected to be a natural green substitute for sweeteners such as sucrose. In addition to being extracted from R. suavissimus, rubusoside can also be produced in large quantities through biotransformation and biosynthesis. Overall, R. suavissimus leaves have three major functions of “tea, sugar and medicine”, and are a kind of health care product and sweetener with great development value.