Advanced sugar reduction: DSM to launch new Reb M sweetener at IFT

13 Jul 2108 --- DSM is set to showcase its new generation sweetener Avansya Reb M at this year’s IFT, in Chicago. Avansya is DSM’s new brand for sustainably produced, non-artificial sweeteners that answers the need for advanced, flexible sugar reduction in a wide range of foods and beverages. The first product in this range is Avansya Reb M (Rebaudioside M), a calorie-free steviol glycoside with a pure and clean taste, according to the company, which is sustainably produced by fermentation.

“With rates of overweight and obesity on the rise globally, the food industry is looking for ways to create healthier versions of the foods and beverages that consumers love,” says Luiz Leite, Director of DSM’s Sugar Reduction Platform.

“We believe that better sweeteners – which taste better, are non-artificial, and offer advanced sugar reduction opportunities – will be an important part of the solution. We are proud to introduce Avansya Reb M at IFT this year and ultimately, to contribute to healthy food and beverage products for people around the world,” Leite notes.

Leite tells FoodIngredientsFirst: “Avansya Reb M is suited to a wide range of applications, including beverages, baking and dairy. The advantage of Avansya Reb M’s pure and clean taste, together with an advantageous cost-in-use and sustainable supply, is that it enables significant sugar reduction in these categories while delivering the great taste consumers expect.”

“Avansya Reb M has been in development for several years. It is a non-artificial sweetener that is identical to the Reb M found in the stevia plant. With our technology, we are able to produce Avansya Reb M by fermentation, a natural process that is cost-efficient and offers a consistent supply,” explains Leite. 

Avansya is DSM’s new brand for sustainably produced sweeteners that answer the need for advanced, flexible sugar reduction in a range of foods and beverages. “We are proud to introduce Avansya Reb M as the first product in this range. Our strategy in this space is to scout for promising sweetener ingredients in nature which we can make available to more people through our fermentation knowledge,” he says. 

Sugar reduction is a major theme in the food industry today as consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about their sugar intake. DSM’s 2017 consumer research shows that nearly half of all consumers are more concerned about their sugar intake than they were three years prior. As a result, some 55 percent of consumers often or always check food packaging for sugar content. 

“Food companies are driven to reduce sugar while maintaining a great sweet taste that consumers love, and Avansya Reb M can help achieve that,” adds Leite. 

Avansya Reb M is identical to Reb M found in the stevia plant. DSM’s novel and patented technology for purifying steviol glycosides from fermentation is completely water-based and solvent-free, which benefits sustainability. 

DSM’s Avansya Reb M is GRAS (generally recognized as safe) in the US and registered for use in Mexico. DSM expects to provide commercial quantities of Avansya Reb M to customers in the US and Mexico in the second half of the year, and thereafter in the rest of the world. This is according to regulatory approvals that are in line with the company’s production scale-up plan. 

Visitors to DSM’s booth at IFT can try Avansya Reb M in a sweetened yogurt application, where the new sweetener has enabled a 100 percent reduction in added sugar. Avansya Reb M, with its sugar-like sweetness, allows producers to achieve a zero-added-sugar product while maintaining a preferred taste profile in the application. 

By Elizabeth Green