The California-company previously received GRAS no objections letters from the FDA for the use of its Bestevia Reb D and Reb M stevia sweeteners.
Branded as Bestevia e+, the company's newest stevia sweetener is produced using a plant-based bioconversion process and contains Reb E 95%, Reb M (below 50ppm), and other stevia compounds, according to the company.
"Bestevia e+ provides a mouthfeel and taste closest to sugar," said Shari Joslin, VP of application technology at SweeGen, who said the sweetener can provide a 100% sugar reduction solution at a price equivalent to cane sugar for formulators and manufacturers.
The company debuted the ingredient in November 2018 at SupplySide West in Las Vegas as a sugar reduction solution created specifically for beverage applications in response to IP concerns over the use of Reb M and Reb D, which had been patented by Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, respectively.
"The beverage industry shows great respect to this existing IP and in response has been looking for new stevia molecules beyond Reb M and Reb D that can be used specifically in beverages," SweeGen stated at the time of the launch.
The Reb E sweetener has also shown success in other product applications, according to Katharina Pueller, director of SweeGen's natural sweetener business.
"Bestevia e+ shows great success in reducing sugar and artificial sweeteners in many applications, such as beverage, dairy, sports nutrition, condiments and bakeries," Pueller said.
Reb E was commercialized at the end of 2018 and is available in large quantities. Having now received the no objection letter from the FDA, SweeGen will continue to pursue global approvals.
