Sunwin International Launches Reb A 95 Stevia Production for US Market Growth

Stevia is seen in the food and beverage industry as a potential answer to growing health concerns and a preference among consumers for natural products.

12/11/08 Sunwin International Neutraceuticals, Inc. a leader in the production and distribution of Chinese herbs, veterinary medicines and one of the world's leading producers of all natural, zero calorie stevia in China, announced the production launch of Rebaudioside A 95, one of the highest Stevia grades available in the market today.

Sunwin's stevia is an all natural product derived from naturally sweet Stevia plant cultivars. Stevia has been used worldwide for decades as a sweetening alternative to sugar or chemical sweeteners that may include undesirable side effects or health risks. It is a major choice throughout Asia accounting for approximately 40% of the sweetener market in Japan and has a growing presence in the United States where it is sold as a dietary supplement for people seeking low calorie or low sugar dietary options.

President of the company's US subsidiary Jeff Reynolds commented, "This expansion directly relates to the growing interest we see in the United States, both from the sale of our proprietary OnlySweet consumer product sold in 4,000 stores and rapidly expanding interest in using Stevia in low calorie and diet products for the food and beverage industry. Sunwin is uniquely positioned as a vertically integrated provider able to produce and deliver bulk quantities of specific Stevia grades suited to specific products."

Stevia can be used in beverages and in baked or cooked products, unlike many chemical sweeteners. Stevia is seen in the food and beverage industry as a potential answer to growing health concerns and a preference among consumers for natural products. In addition to documented health risks associated with chemical sweeteners, a recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention study finds that the incidence of Type 2 diabetes among the American population has doubled in the last decade, primarily related to higher incidence of other health issues such as obesity. These trends are increasing the need for low calorie ingredients such as Stevia.

Answering this need, Sunwin is a leading Stevia producer and one of the only vertically integrated providers. Most of the worldwide Stevia farming and refining capacity is located in China where growth conditions are ideal. Sunwin provides a variety of custom Stevia grades and offers preferable pricing solutions to bulk purchasers.

Sunwin's Reb A 95 is comprised of 99.5% steviol glycosides, the naturally occurring compounds that give stevia its sweetness. In Sunwin's highly refined product, 96.5% of the refined Stevia extract is comprised of Rebaudioside A and Stevioside, the two most desirable naturally sweet compounds in Stevia. Reb A 95 is suited for complex flavoring blends such as those found in many beverages and table top sweeteners where purity of taste is critical. Sunwin also produces lower steviol grade products suited to a number of applications including food and beverage needs where the use of a lower cost product does not interfere with the taste profile while keeping ingredient costs low.

"Our stevia is produced in a medical grade facility and meets the highest standards of purity at every stage of production through careful controls by the company," Reynolds said. "Sunwin is well positioned to continue expanding production capacity as market demand grows. We look forward to the anticipated full approval of Stevia in the US as an ingredient, which will significantly open the market for Sunwin. Applications are already pending in front of the US Food and Drug Administration for these approvals and Sunwin is evaluating its opportunities to participate on a large scale in this country."