Stevia Corp, a farm management company focused on the economic development of stevia, has been reviewing proposals from major University institutes in the US to conduct stevia research and expects to confirm the first research project shortly.
Global interest in stevia has now reached the stage where it is attracting the notice of major US research institutes as a worthwhile crop upon which to focus research resources. Initial research has shown that stevia can be adapted to US climates and there has been promising progress towards mechanising the production of stevia which is a critical factor for US based production. Stevia Corp believes that it is a matter of when, not if, stevia will become a viable crop for US farmers.
Stevia Corp is also developing stevia applications for fertiliser, animal feed and other organic applications that utilise the entire plant as a high value ingredient enhancement to existing proven formulas. This not only creates new and diversified downstream markets, but also makes complete use of the plant which is significantly more economically efficient than utilising just the leaves to extract the Rebaudioside A for human consumption, the company said.
George Blankenbaker, Stevia Corp president, said: “New strains are being developed to adapt to US climates and substantial progress is being made on the mechanisation of stevia. In addition, as the many attributes of stevia are better understood, new value-add uses are being developed to make use of the complete plant material.
“We believe that combining our practical experience in adapting stevia for growth in new countries together with our efforts in research and the development of innovative techniques provides a competitive advantage for the commercialisation of stevia in the US beginning with initial research and trials during 2012.”
Source: Stevia Corp
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