Asia Pacific brands now have access to an expanded portfolio of sugar reduction solutions with the regulatory approval of SweeGen’s Bestevia Rebaudiosides (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.

“The approval is great news for global and regional F&B manufacturers because they will have greater access to SweeGen’s Bestevia Taste Solutions sugar reduction portfolio. These customized solutions incorporate our world-class supply of next generation, non-GMO  stevia sweeteners along with proprietary flavors and texturants to solve the sugar reduction challenges of our customers,” says Lewis Tessarolo, Senior Director of Business Development, Asia Pacific.

This latest stevia approval for SweeGen comes at a time when manufacturers are under increasing pressure to develop sugar-reduced options because of the growing health awareness among APAC consumers, coupled with Singapore government health initiatives to curb obesity and diabetes. 

Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) proposed multiple measures potentially impacting the food and beverage sectors including banning the sale of higher sugar pre-packaged drinks and imposing a tax on sugar-based drinks.

“Creating reduced sugar products that meet consumer expectations for great taste is a big challenge. SweeGen continues to expand its portfolio of ingredient solutions as well as our product development capacity and expertise,” says Shari Mahon, Senior Vice President of Application Technology. “As we expand with regulatory approvals in Asia Pacific, we are expanding our regional applications support globally to collaborate closely with our customers for enabling unique local solutions.”

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

“Next generation” stevia sweeteners have a much better taste profile than earlier stevia versions and can be used without any maskers, Katharina Pueller, Director, Natural Sweetener Business at Sweegen, points out.

Sugar reduction and naturality in ingredients were two pronounced trends at Fi Europe 2019, held in Paris, France, last December, which showcased an array of zero-calorie sweeteners. At the industry event, FoodIngredientsFirst spoke with sweetener suppliers on the show floor who offer insights on scalable solutions for the growing global demand for low and no-calorie solutions in food and beverage applications.