PureCircle, acquired by Ingredion, is collaborating with Synergy Flavours in an “industry-first” to create a range of zero-sugar tonics sweetened with PureCircle Reb M stevia extract. 

Skinny Drinks Group, together with the ingredient businesses, has created a zero-sugar tonic with a punchy, sugary taste and optimal mouthfeel.

PureCircle says this has been formulated for the “forward-thinking beverage company.” 

Flavor expansion
The company’s previous tonic ranges had been formulated using traditional Reb A stevia extract, which can come with some flavor limitations. Skinny Drinks Group wanted to explore PureCircle Starleaf Reb M’s benefits, which delivers the most sugar-like taste. 

Three new flavors are being added to Skinny Drinks Group’s range – blueberry, orange and strawberry and a new range of children’s drinks and adult sodas – in addition to the reformulation of existing products.

“Creating tonics with optimum taste and mouthfeel while keeping sugar off the ingredients list is vital to us. We don’t expect consumers to have to compromise between flavor and sugar content. So, when we started working with PureCircle and Synergy Flavours on a tonic that could deliver it all, we were really impressed and couldn’t be happier with the final result,” says Ian Minton, founder at Skinny Drinks Group.

Scoping sweetness
PureCircle has been working with the stevia leaf for 20 years and has invested millions in understanding it better, points out Chris Draper, UK sales manager at PureCircle.

“Launched over a decade ago, Reb A was the first stevia product to market, but when dosed above a certain level, the flavor can be affected, which limits the scope of sugar reduction or removal of artificial sweeteners.”

“We’ve discovered more than 60 different glycosides in the leaf, all of which have slightly different properties and can be used to deliver different results in application. In doing so, we realized that the best tasting of these glycosides are only present in small proportions, and so decided to breed a new leaf that was higher in those better-tasting molecules; this became Starleaf,” he says. 

“Reb M is by far the most sugar-like and best-tasting glycoside from the stevia leaf that we have discovered so far. Starleaf enables an increased proportion of Reb M, which produces none of the taste compromises of Reb A. Working together with Synergy Flavours, we have been delighted to reformulate Skinny Drinks Group’s beverages with an ingredient that ticks all the boxes and comes only from leaf extract.”