Fueled by a health-forward shift in Latin American consumption habits, Sweegen has expanded its stevia footprint in Latin America with Colombia’s approval of its suite of sweeteners. The solutions are made by bioconversion, a method producing clean and non-GMO ingredients.

Sweegen’s rebaudiosides E and I will now join the already approved D and M – all under the Bestevia brand.

South America craves cleaner
Triggered by rising levels of obesity, Colombia has undergone a nutrition transition, Sweegen highlights.

The country has prioritized the health and well-being of children and families by adopting policies to address the obesity epidemic. 

Colombias Ministry of Health has prioritized sugar reduction by exploring sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes to mandatory front-of-pack warning labels through legislative and public media pushes. 

The country joins the growing list of Latin American countries prioritizing health, including Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Peru and Mexico.

In South America, 52% of consumers say they are looking to moderate sugar intake in soft drinks, Sweegen highlights. Colombia ranks third in the region for soft drinks new product launches and fourth for sales value in 2018, as reported by Innova Market Insights.

“As new product launches have increased in recent years, brands have a clear opportunity to create healthy innovative food and beverages, replacing up to 100% sugar with Sweegen’s Signature stevia and sweetener system,” says Giannone.

“The regulatory development is good news for Sweegen to introduce more steviol glycosides made by bioconversion. It also gives consumer packaged goods direct access to Sweegen’s Signature sweeteners without waiting for additional product registration in Colombia,” highlights Hadi Omrani, senior director of technical and regulatory affairs.

Innovating for Latin American palates
Sweegen’s Latin American Innovation Studio, located in Mexico City, serves the entire region.

The facility is one of the company’s global creative centers home to product developers exploring sweet taste solutions, local consumer insights and collaborating on new or reformulated products with Sweegen’s expert food and applications team.

“Latin America is one of our most important markets globally,” remarks Luca Giannone, senior vice president of global sales.

“The continuous development of our Signature sweeteners and sweetener system demonstrates our commitment to investing in new technologies for helping brands tackle sugar reduction challenges and replac sugar in better-for-you food and beverages in Colombia.”

Next-gen rebaudiosides
Last January, the international food standards body Codex Alimentarius adopted the specifications for four different technologies for the production of steviol glycosides, which includes Sweegen’s bioconversion. The move was touted as a significant win for the stevia sector.

New generation rebaudiosides made by bioconversion produce clean sweetener molecules like rebaudiosides B, D, E, I, M, and N, originally found in small quantities in the stevia leaf. They impart a clean sugar-like taste with a better sensory profile and are highly sought-after by F&B manufacturers in countries with regulatory approvals for these compounds.

Rebaudioside N (Reb N) is Sweegen’s latest solution to emerge from this pipeline. It is produced through a patented bioconversion technology from biotech company Conagen.

In 2020, SweeGen was granted regulatory approval of Rebs D and E in Singapore, adding to the previous approval of Bestevia Reb M by the Singapore Food Agency in 2019.

In other recent developments, Sweegen rolled out its newest advancement in sweetening solutions, the high-intensity sweetener brazzein, branded Ultratia. Found sparingly in nature, brazzein derives from the West African climbing plant’s fruit, oubli.