According to EFSA, stevia sweeteners with a steviol glycoside content of at least 95% are considered to be safe for use in foods. Full regulatory approval for stevia-derived sweeteners is expected some time next year. In the US, the natural sweetener attained a self-affirmed GRAS status in December 2008, which led to a rush of new product launches, including beverages developed by giants PepsiCo and Coca-Cola. Cargill, which introduced the stevia brand Truvia in 2008, says it is partnering with at least 100 food and beverage companies to develop new products with the ingredient in 2010 including beverages, yoghurt, ice cream and confectionary.
Japan, Russia, Australia, New Zealand and Brazil have all approved stevia as a sweetener. This is also the case in France, which is currently the only state in the EU to permit use of stevia. In France, manufacturers are allowed to market products which are sweetened with stevia if it contains at least 97% Rebaudioside A (Reb A).
Reb A is derived from the leaves of the Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni plant, native to Paraguay. The ingredient is only one of ten steviol glycosides which are extracted from dry leaves by steeping in warm water and then purified by crystallization to get > 97% pure Reb A product. Its sweetness is 200- 400 times that of sugar. The sweetness profile of Reb A has slightly delayed onset of sweetness, similar to many other high intensity sweeteners. It also shows sweetness lingering at high concentration, thus the tail is more extended than sugar, but much shorter than sucralose, for example.
Eager to be in the middle of the action, Europeanbased WILD Flavors has partnered with US-based Sunwin International, one of the largest suppliers of bulk stevia. This has allowed Wild to start refining the flavour profile of Sunwin’s stevia sweeteners early on, before EU approval expected next year. ‘In doing so, we discovered that our natural “Taste Modification Technology” is ideal for eliminating the undesired liquorice-like and somewhat bitter aftertaste that stevia naturally has,’ explains Peter Naylor, WILD’s director of Strategic Business Development.
Stevia has been singled out as one of the most significant development in beverage ingredients in the last few years.
According to stevia producer, PureCircle, the sweetener is particularly relevant for beverages because of its excellent acid and temperature stability. The sweetness and flavour quality remain intact throughout the shelf life of the product. Since it may be challenging to achieve the required level of sweetness with Reb A alone in some beverages, blending with small amount of caloric or non-caloric sweetener seems to provide a better sweetness profile. Reb A shows excellent synergy with fructose and sugar as well as with several polyols.
Reb A currently sells for around $300 a kilogram, according to Leatherhead International, high enough to pose a barrier for some manufacturers. PureCircle hopes that new varieties – developed through conventional plant breeding techniques – will help provide a more affordable supply for its customers. And what about SA? While we don’t have approval yet for stevia as a sweetener, it’s only a matter of time. Grant Momplé of Afriplex says his company has done some interesting development work on stevia for the US market. He expects local approval for the ingredient by the end of the year locally, although he does emphasise that this is only a gut feel. ‘Most of the groundwork has been done overseas, so I don’t foresee any hurdles.’ Any ingredient which is plant-derived, ‘all natural’ with zero calories has to be a crowd pleaser. Watch this space…
The Global Stevia Institute (http://www.globalsteviainstitute. com) will launch this month (June 2010). The Institute will promote accurate, credible and consistent information and resources about stevia to health professionals, consumers and the food industry.
Pure Circle Tecnical website Wild Flavors website Cargill website
