PureCircle Receives Notice of Allowance for Patent on Stevia Production Processes

PureCircle’s ability to produce consistent, high quality product in large scale, continues to be a leading source of competitive advantage as it allows us to deliver on the expectations of the world’s leading food and beverage manufacturers.

Sep 3 2010 --- PureCircle, the world's leading producer of high purity stevia products, is pleased to announce it has received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for its patent application on the production of high purity stevia sweeteners. The Notice of Allowance is related to the process and method of producing a range of high purity stevia sweeteners from the Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni plant including the production of high purity stevia extract, as well as the isolation and purification of rebaudioside A and enzymatically treated steviol glycosides. On issuance of this U.S. patent, it will provide the Company with strong competitive advantage and protections across PureCircle’s portfolio of high purity stevia products. The issued U.S. patent is expected to expire in 2025.

Beyond this patent application, PureCircle has a total of 49 additional patent applications in various stages in the review process, submitted across global markets, which would further establish barriers to entry in the stevia industry.

Magomet Malsagov, CEO and Managing Director of PureCircle Limited, said: "This patent underscores the strength of our R&D and operations teams as pioneers within the stevia industry. PureCircle’s ability to produce consistent, high quality product in large scale, continues to be a leading source of competitive advantage as it allows us to deliver on the expectations of the world’s leading food and beverage manufacturers. We are pleased to be able to add this process and method patent to our growing portfolio of patents.”