Tereos PureCircle Launches “SteviaSucres” as Suppliers Welcome Stevia Approval

France, which gave temporary approval to the use of high purity stevia extract Reb A in 2009, has enjoyed rapid growth in consumer awareness. A study, conducted in France, by PureCircle Insights Group found that 47% of participants were aware of this sweetening solution by July 2011.

Nov 16 2011 --- Tereos PureCircle Solutions, the 50-50 joint venture between Tereos and PureCircle, welcomes the EU Commission’s final approval for the use of stevia extracts in foods and beverages in the European Union.

The regulation permitting the sale and use of stevia extracts has been officially adopted. It will come into force and will be directly applicable in the EU Members States 20 days following the publication in the EU official journal, allowing the sale of products formulated with stevia extracts from December 2 2011.

In addition, Tereos PureCircle Solutions is announcing the forthcoming launch of an innovative patented sweetener solution called “SteviaSucres”, combining steviol extracts and sugar to help industrial customers in the formulation of low calorie products. “SteviaSucres” offers real benefits for developing such low calorie products while totally preserving the sugar taste. Furthermore, Tereos PureCircle Solutions’ “SteviaSucres” is easy to use and offers excellent dissolution potential. Tereos PureCircle Solutions, which has already been active on this market for one year, will launch the ready-to-use “SteviaSucres” mix during the next FIE (Food Ingredients Europe) exhibition.

Michel Laborde, director of Tereos PureCircle Solutions confirms, “Tereos PureCircle Solutions is able to meet new consumer trends for caloric reduction with products with natural origin. This is a great decision for our European customers and for consumers.”

Jordi Ferre, President of PureCircle Limited’s Commercial Division explains that: “This is a very important day for the stevia industry, food and beverage manufacturers and consumers in Europe. Stevia extracts, the no-calorie sweeteners with natural origin, will play an important role in addressing consumer interest in healthier diets and sustainable ingredients, as well as to help offset rising commodity costs for our customers.”

Food and beverages sweetened with stevia extracts are increasingly being launched around the world, in dairy products, beverages and confectionary markets. France, which gave temporary approval to the use of high purity stevia extract Reb A in 2009, has enjoyed rapid growth in consumer awareness. A study, conducted in France, by PureCircle Insights Group found that 47% of participants were aware of this sweetening solution by July 2011.

Meanwhile from December 2 2011 onwards, the joint venture partners Nordzucker and PureCircle (NP Sweet) will start selling stevia and combinations of stevia and sugar to available applications for stevia in the food and drinks industry in the EU.

Over the course of the last year, NP Sweet, backed by the joint venture partners Nordzucker and PureCircle, has developed these applications in close cooperation with business partners in the food and beverages sector. NP Sweet’s access to PureCircle’s supply chain for high-quality stevia, and Nordzucker’s development, sales and distribution competences, helped to secure the on-time availability of stevia to the market place.

NP Sweet will market PureCircle’s line of pure stevia products, as well as its own series of stevia/sugar combinations to be sold under the brand SteviaSucrose.

Lars Bo Jorgensen, General Manager of NP Sweet A/S, comments: “For us, stevia has a significant market potential as it works very well with sugar in many foods and beverages. The combination of PureCircle’s range of stevia products and our own combinations of sugar and stevia will allow us to become a strong partner, especially for manufacturers of soft drinks and dairy products.

WILD Flavors GmbH (WILD) has also welcomed the official EU-wide approval of steviol glycosides in foodstuffs. The industry and European consumers have been eagerly awaiting the "go-ahead" for the sweetener. Thanks to its global presence and stake in the Stevia manufacturer, Sunwin International, WILD is already prepared for a great demand of the calorie-free sweetener from natural sources.

"Early on, we expected a positive EFSA opinion stating that Stevia is a safe ingredient in food, and, therefore, we put all of our efforts into developing our high-quality Sunwin Stevia portfolio," says Michael Ponder, CEO of WILD Flavors GmbH. "Our stake in Sunwin International, one of the leading Stevia producers, gives us clear-cut advantages. We are optimally prepared for bulk stevia requests as well as product formulation of low calorie products." Food and beverage manufacturers will benefit not only from WILD's steady access to top-quality Stevia extracts through Sunwin International, but also from WILD's high level of application knowledge, including a wide array of Taste Optimizer Natural Flavor Systems that provide great tasting finished products for a consumer product using Stevia.

WILD has developed Taste Optimization Technology that provides turnkey solutions for a wide range of food and beverage products sweetened with Stevia. The technology has enabled WILD to eliminate the characteristic licorice nuance and bitter aftertaste often associated with Stevia. Manufacturers can therefore develop delicious tasting, naturally sweetened, products for the market, ranging from near waters, tea drinks or carbonated soft drinks to gums, hard-boiled candies and chocolate. WILD develops great-tasting calorie-reduced, low calorie and calorie-free varieties according to customer standards and market requirements.

Sunwin Stevia sweeteners have different ratios of steviol glycosides in their composition. This allows WILD to respond to manufacturers' requirements and constraints on an individual basis and offer flexible cost solutions. Steviol glycosides occur naturally in the leaves of the stevia plant and provide the sweetening properties. A substance known as Rebaudioside A is considered one of the most important steviol glycosides because of its particularly good sensory properties. Sunwin Stevia sweeteners are currently available with Rebaudioside A contents of 60%, 80%, 95% or 98%, depending on the client's preference.