The ability to produce a Reb M sweetener via fermentation opens up the potential to significantly improve the flavour profile of these important zero-calorie sweeteners, especially at higher usage levels.
The best-tasting and sweetest parts of the stevia leaf, such as Reb M, make up only a tiny portion of the leaf (less than 1%). By producing Reb M using fermentation, Cargill and Evolva can produce the desired sweetness at a scale and cost not feasible through extraction of Reb M from the stevia leaf.
“This breakthrough will allow consumers all over the world to enjoy products using Reb M at a commercially viable price,” said Evolva CEO Neil Goldsmith. “This patent application forms part of our ever-expanding IP portfolio on steviol glycosides, which we are confident is the most extensive and the most commercially significant in this space.”
“We are pleased about the prospects of being able to deliver zero-calorie, great tasting sweeteners,” said David Henstrom, vice president for health ingredients, Cargill. “At a time when obesity rates continue to rise globally, we are working with food and beverage manufacturers to allow them to formulate a vast array of reduced sugar products with Reb M, which is one of the best-tasting steviol glycoside sweeteners.”
Source: Cargill
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