We have a clear advantage over other stevia suppliers in this space in that we have a presence at retail
But what about the competition? A lot of companies now supply stevia extracts, acknowledged VP Health Ingredients, David Henstrom. But how many of them have also developed a global consumer brand?
“We have a clear advantage over other suppliers in this space in that we have a presence at retail”, he said. “We have also conducted research into how consumers think about sweetness.”
Meanwhile, incorporating stevia into different food and beverage matrixes is complex and challenging, he said, and it is difficult to think of another supplier that has the same level of applications experience.
“Using stevia is an art and a science, and we’ve invested 80,00 hours in applications development to get it right.”
Fermentation is a more cost-effective solution for obtaining the best-tasting minor steviol glycosides
Via a partnership with Evolva, Cargill is also exploring fermentation as a more cost-effective technique to generate commercial quantities of steviol glycosides, particularly those that are present at very low levels in stevia leaves, but have a more appealing taste profile than Reb-A, the most abundant glycoside.
But will steviol glycosides from corn or other source materials still be considered ‘natural’?
"We’re still working through the regulatory picture", said Henstrom, who noted that the fermentation-derived glycosides will just form one part of Cargill’s portfolio, with customers that only want products from the leaf having plenty of options.
“Fermentation is a more cost-effective solution for obtaining the best-tasting minor steviol glycosides, which can be offered in conjunction with our extensive portfolio of leaf-based solutions. Each variety of steviol glycosides we eventually offer will have a distinctive set of qualities and benefits.”
But what are the next big natural high intensity sweeteners beyond stevia and monk fruit?
Henstrom did not reveal which ones Cargill is looking at, but when asked whether bosses expect to commercialize another natural sweetener within 10 years, the answer was a clear ‘Yes’.
