Cerilliant has introduced two new certified reference standards for assessing the purity of Reb A, the high intensity all-natural sweetener from the leaves of the stevia plant.
Researchers claim to have discovered a particular gene variant that could affect sweetness perception among different ethnic groups, raising the possibility of more targeted flavor profiling of foods.
At the IFT trade show in Anaheim, Caroline Scott-Thomas followed the naturally sourced trend tour, and caught up with some of the companies highlighting natural products at the show.
Sensient Flavors has added its flavor masking technology to the raft of products that companies are offering to deal with potential off-notes associated with stevia-derived sweeteners.
Major Reb A supplier PureCircle has disputed recent suggestions that stevia’s potential for use in organic foods could be limited, although it agrees that certification poses problems.
Wild Flavors has said it is aggressively working toward external safety assessment of its stevia extracts as it becomes the latest company to announce the launch of a stevia flavor solutions range.
Major Reb A supplier PureCircle has quadrupled production capacity of stevia extracts at its Jiangxi plant in China as interest in stevia-derived sweeteners continues to grow.
There are now even more options for food manufacturers seeking to reformulate with stevia-derived sweeteners, as Cargill becomes the latest to launch a flavor range to deal with their potentially problematic aftertaste.
The potential of stevia-derived sweeteners for use in organic foods could be limited because of the plant’s diversified cultivation and Reb A’s processed nature, according to Euromonitor International.
Cargill has claimed that the market for its sucromalt sweetener will widen after acheiving FDA generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status last week, and as consumers increasingly demand healthier foods.
Stevia’s expense compared to other sweeteners is a major market limitation, according to a new paper on the stevia market, although industry players say they are working to bring its price down.
The USDA has chosen not to change laws on genetically engineered sugarbeets in a lawsuit filed by the Center for Food Safety and Earthjustice requesting a review of deregulation for the beets last month.
Granular, a European stevia producer, has entered into a joint partnership to build a refinery for the natural sweetener in South America which it said will be environmentally neutral.
