Dive Brief:
- Flavor and extract manufacturer Ohly has announced a new natural sweetener using stevia called Sav-R-Sweet, according to acompany statement. The new product adds flavor, but reduces the natural sweetener's aftertaste, the company states.
- Sav-R-Sweet combines the stevia leaf’s no calorie, natural sweetness with a yeasty powder to block bitter aftertaste while boosting fruity flavors.
- The company states that using Sav-R-Sweet, sugar was reduced by 50%, and absolute sucrose went down by up to 8%.
Dive Insight:
The World Health Organization hasadvocated for a global reductionin sugar intake, saying there is no nutritional value to the ingredient. This week, the multinational agency endorsedusing taxes to preventsugary drink consumption.
Stevia, while native to Paraguay, is an adaptable plant that can grow nearly anywhere in the world. Itsmarket share is increasing,全球价值3.377亿美元in 2015, according to Grand View Research. Driving the sweetener's popularity are the better-for-you trend to reduce sugar in products. The forthcoming new Nutrition Facts panel on food labels, which will show exactly how much sugar has been added, also is driving manufacturers to reformulate their food.
Many different manufacturers have been working on formulas that cut back on the bitter aftertaste, and the race is on to determine the best formulation for mass market acceptance. Other than Sav-R-Sweet, there's PureCircle, which has its sights set ondoubling its productionwith a new plant. Last month, stevia-based Whole Earth Sweetener Co.'s Nature Sweet packets also started appearingat 9,000 Starbucks locationsthroughout the United States.
