The Coca-Cola Company has confirmed to BeverageDaily.com that it has launched stevia-sweetened varieties of Sprite and Nestea in France with 30% less sugar – the first roll-out using its headline brands on a major market since European Commission (EC)...
A class action lawsuit filed in California this week argues that steviol glycosides should not be considered natural, owing to the "chemical processing" sometimes used to extract them from the stevia leaf.
Flavour ingredients house Senomyx has hinted at PepsiCo’s interest in its work on developing an enhancer to reduce high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) levels in beverages and foods by up to 33%.
While traders “jumping in and out of the stevia marketplace” are disrupting prices and standards by peddling some “awful” extracts, high-quality stevia suppliers in it for the long-haul will ultimately prosper, according to one leading player.
Acidic flavourings and preservatives added to sugar-free beverages and confectionery may pose a ‘dental health risk’ to consumers who believe such products don’t cause tooth decay.
Stevia-sweetened fruit drink Trop50 has been the runaway success story in PepsiCo’s US beverages business this year with volumes of the mid-calorie beverage up 50% in the third quarter, PepsiCo has revealed.
Small molecules that modulate the human sweet taste receptor could help to provide zero-calorie foods and drinks that have "the true taste of sugar", say industry scientists.
GLG Life Tech Corporation (GLG) claims it has made a ‘strong impact’ on the ready-to-drink (RTD) tea market in China, despite serious production issues in the third quarter of 2011 and warmer weather that hit consumer demand.
Consumers of diet soft drinks risk the “rosy self-deception” that such products ‘cancel out’ excess calories consumed through food, while they could also encourage over-eating, Euromonitor International has suggested.
With brand loyalty in the beverage aisles “in freefall” manufacturers have to work harder to excite consumers with new ideas from retro-style acid phosphates to drinking vinegar and Horchata, according to market researchers at The Hartman Group.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has confirmed it has access to 112 studies about aspartame, most of which were conducted in the 1980s, which had been feared lost.
November 2011 should see steviol glycosides get regulatory backing for use in food in drink products in the European market, according to a European Commission (EC) representative.
Hype about the promise of stevia created inflated expectations – but the market has evolved in response, according to stevia supplier PureCircle’s vice president of global marketing Jason Hecker.
The first products using sustainable sugarcane under a new certification scheme are about to hit the market after the initial batch was purchased by The Coca-Cola Company’s bottling system.
Stevia supplier PureCircle has developed a natural flavor modifier that enhances the sweetness of stevia, sugar and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to allow larger calorie reductions, the company has said.
Domino Foods, Wild Flavors and Sunwin International have entered a collaborative agreement to produce naturally-derived sweeteners and sweetening systems, the companies have said.
Tate & Lyle today announced that it has entered a five-year exclusive global marketing and distribution agreement for BioVittoria’s zero-calorie monk fruit sweetener, the company told FoodNavigator-USA.
Steviol glycosides produced by fermentation could be on the market in the coming years due to advances made by Swiss company Evolva and Californian R&D partner Abunda Nutrition, which it plans to acquire.
Fusion Nutraceuticals has developed a new process for developing granulated zero-calorie sweeteners that better imitate the taste and functionality of sugar with nearly ten times fewer calories, the company has said.
Sweetening carbonated beverages with stevia, and reb A in particular, does not produce any steviol aglycone, a potentially toxic compound, says a new study which supports the safety and stability of the sweetener.
Redpoint Bio and International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) have achieved FEMA GRAS status for their Reb C sweetness enhancer, allowing it to be used in a variety of applications in the United States and elsewhere.
Senomyx has expanded its collaborative agreement with Firmenich for the commercial development of sweet enhancers to include its S6973 sucrose enhancer in certain beverages, the company has said.
Suppliers and stakeholders in the stevia industry are organising to maintain standards and pursue scientific enquiry into the use of stevia sweeteners. But two trade organisations have been announced this week, with very different membership criteria...
DoehlerGroup and PureCircle, Corn Products and Galam, Tereos and PureCircle… This week has seen a new flurry of alliances over stevia sweeteners, as the ingredients sector gets on its marks for EU approval – and a significant new market.
Jim May of SweetLeaf tells how he came across the sweet leaves from Paraguay almost three decades before they captured the imagination of the mainstream food industry.
Major stevia player PureCircle has won a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) letter of no objection from the Food and Drug Administration for a blend it is aiming at products seeking partial sugar and calorie reduction.
California-based flavor firm Senomyx has signed a letter agreement with PepsiCo to negotiate a deal for the development and commercialization of new sweet taste technology, Senomyx said on Thursday.
Data on the market penetration of stevia in beverages outside Europe suggests that anticipated EU approval may be only the first step for the natural sweetener on a long road to commercial significance.
EU approval for natural sweeteners from the stevia leaf has moved one step closer after scientists at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) gave them a clean bill of health.
GLG Life Tech has reported a 323 percent increase in revenue during 2009 as food and drink manufacturers continue to develop and launch new products containing its stevia-derived sweeteners.
PureCircle and Imperial Sugar have launched a joint venture to offer sugar and stevia combinations to the food and beverage industry as it looks to meet consumer demand for natural lower calorie products.
A Yerba Maté beverage is set to be one of the first products on French shelves sweetened with stevia-derived rebaudioside-A (Reb-A), recalling a traditional use of the plant by Guarani Indians in Paraguay.
BioVittoria has received an FDA letter of no objection that its fruit-derived zero-calorie Fruit-Sweetness sweetener is GRAS (generally recognized as safe), the company said on Monday.
The scientific literature does not support a link between intakes of artificial sweeteners and metabolic changes in children, says a new review from the US National Institutes of Health.
The French government has approved the use of stevia sweetener Reb A in table top sweeteners, and raised the levels at which it can be used in a range of no added sugar food and beverage products.
The artificial sweetener sucralose may work together with glucose to stimulate the release of a protein that promotes a feeling of fullness, says new research from the US.
Purac has become the latest company to release a natural flavor masker to help drinks makers deal with the reported bitter or licorice-like aftertaste sometimes experienced with stevia sweeteners.
Sweetener company PureCircle has raised $67.18m through share placing to invest in the development of its natural sweetener products made from stevia leaves.
Stevia sweeteners have already hit on the radar screens of one in three moms, a PureCircle survey indicates – but the next step from awareness is building a good impression.
By Sneha Pasricha, research analyst, Frost & Sullivan
Aspartame and sugar are likely to be the main substitution targets for emerging stevia sweeteners, and beverages the initial main application, writes Sneha Pasricha, a research analyst for Frost & Sullivan, in the first of two guest articles.
Achieving the ideal sweetener blend is a scientific undertaking, making or breaking a product’s acceptance. In the second part of our special series on sweetener blends, FoodNavigator look at what makes a blend a success.
The French government has approved the use of stevia sweeteners with 97 per cent purity rebaudioside A (Reb A), officially opening up the first EU market for products containing the much-anticipated ingredient.
Scientists have developed an ‘electronic tongue on a chip’ to quickly and accurately identifies sweetness, giving manufacturers an inexpensive quality control tool.
