SweeGen has announced its successful commercial production of Bestevia Rebaudiosides (Reb) B, a highly soluble stevia sweetener, supported and protected by its patent properties focused on Reb B, that provides a sweet taste in reduced sugar formulations, with good performance in a range of applications, particularly beverages.

According to the US sugar reduction solutions company, the taste and performance benefits of SweeGen’s Bestevia Reb B add up to great value for F&B manufacturers because for the price equivalent to sugar, it is scalable, non-caloric, and sustainable, making it an attractive natural sweetener to use in products.

Consumers who are adopting health and wellness lifestyles are looking to make better choices for themselves and their families, notes the company. Awareness of obesity and diabetes prevention habits is driving consumers to seek products with great taste containing less or no sugar.

SweeGen’s Reb B joins its rich portfolio of Bestevia sugar reduction solutions, including Rebs D, E and M. This expansion of sweetener offerings strengthens SweeGen’s ability to deliver highly relevant, unique sugar reduction solutions. 

It closely follows SweeGen gaining Asia Pacific approval for novel stevia solutions last week. Asia Pacific brands now have access to an expanded portfolio of sugar reduction solutions with the regulatory approval of SweeGen’s Bestevia Reb D and E in Singapore, adding to the company’s previous approval of Bestevia Reb M by the Singapore Food Agency in 2019. SweeGen’s Bestevia Taste Solutions proprietary taste and sweetener platform offers solutions for applications across the spectrum, including beverages, dairy, confectionery, bakery and sauces.

Combined with SweeGen’s proprietary application technology and expertise in using Bestevia Reb B, food and beverage manufacturers will have a broader toolkit to tackle the challenges of reducing sugar across their product lines.

“Bestevia Reb B adds dimension to our world-class supply of next-generation non-GMO stevia sweeteners,” says Shari Mahon, Senior Vice President of application technology. “Bestevia Reb B performs great in beverages because it is highly soluble, non-caloric and 150 times sweeter than sucrose. Brands looking to make functional beverages with unique flavors and nutritional ingredients will find Reb B provides the flexibility and great taste they need in formulation.”

The regulatory work for Bestevia Reb B is underway for earning both US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status and The Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) acceptance. 

“We want to share Bestevia Reb B globally. Our vision is to make it commercially accessible to all food and beverage manufacturers in the world, as we aim toward regulatory approvals in every market,” adds Hadi Omrani, Director of Technical and Regulatory Affairs.

SweeGen’s application team has a pulse on consumer trends for understanding regional tastes and sugar reduction. The company is expanding its position in sugar reduction solutions by launching its global Food and Beverage Application Centers. The Latin-America center in Mexico City is ready to open next month.

SweeGen’s proprietary Bestevia stevia sweeteners are produced through a patented bio-conversion process, which begins with the stevia leaf to achieve high-purity clean tasting Rebs D, E and M, and now B.