The EU Commission has published specifications authorizing PureCircle by Ingredion’s range of steviol glycosides produced via bioconversion – Reb D, Reb M and Reb AM. Helen Hook, sugar reduction and specialty sweeteners platform leader, EMEA, speaks to FoodIngredientsFirst about consumer attitudes toward stevia as one of the most preferred sugar replacements and how sweeteners continue to climb. 

“This latest approval covers the production of three steviol glycosides (Reb M, Reb AM & Reb D) through bioconversion, which means we have the option to develop blends using combinations of these molecules to deliver a range of solutions to meet our customer’s needs.”

Hook explains that label-friendly stevia, which is used in the recipes of over 30,000 products, is becoming “ubiquitous to the new product formulations of F&B manufacturers committed to reducing sugar.”

Within the sweetening space, stevia is seeing particular interest as next generations of the ingredient gain regulatory approval. According to Innova Market Insights, new global product launches with stevia are averaging an annual growth of 15% every year (from 2016 to 2021) and one in two consumers are conscious of or limiting sugar in their diet. 

Tapping into bioconversion 
Bioconversion technology allows us to produce much larger quantities of Reb M with improved cost efficiencies making the product more accessible and affordable for food and beverage manufacturers of all sizes, Hook elaborates. 

“Reb M occurs in very small quantities in the stevia leaf but is recognized as the most sugar-like, clean-tasting steviol glycoside and enables higher levels of sugar reduction compared with other stevia molecules,” she continues. 

As stevia matures from seedling to full-grown plant, various stevia ingredients are formed. By adding enzymes to purified stevia leaf extract (Reb A), the maturation of Reb M is completed, just as the leaf does naturally. 

PureCircle’s bioconversion process mirrors the plant’s natural ingredient production process. This produces a non-GMO stevia leaf ingredient with high sweetness quality, clean taste and none of the calories.

Healthy living habits shift
The demand for stevia is driven by the broader health and wellness trend, which continues to prove itself as a key driver for consumer purchasing and consumption habits in EMEA. According to Ingredion Proprietary Sweetener Consumer Insights Program (2021), a quarter of consumers claim to have started eating more healthily over the past 12 months.

As a result, ‘natural ingredients’ and ‘limiting sugar consumption’ are two of the most important consumer dietary considerations.

“Also, in the last two years, a third of consumers we surveyed had changed their sweetener preferences in dairy or dairy alternative products – driven by the need to reduce sugar in diets, a desire for healthier options, while maintaining an enjoyable taste,” explains Hook. 

In EMEA specifically, consumers prefer foods and beverages with claims such as ‘natural’ and other clean label claims, including ‘No Artificial Ingredients.’ 

“As a sweetener and flavor with modifying properties (FMP) from natural origins, stevia solutions offer the versatility, functionality and nutritional profile to help formulate products that are part of a healthy lifestyle,” Hook notes. 

This is reflected by the fact that stevia is now firmly one of the top four ingredients most associated with being a ‘natural’ sweetener, joined by the likes of honey, agave syrup and maple syrup, while consumers are actively avoiding purchasing products containing artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharin, according to Ingredion Proprietary Sweetener Consumer Insights Program (2021).

“With the approval of PureCircle’s proprietary bioconversion process in the EU, we have strengthened our ability to partner with our European F&B customers,” adds Sue Bancroft at PureCircle EMEA. 

“We are positioned to help customers explore the best stevia solution for their specific product and application. Whether from leaf extract or bioconversion, this approval creates new opportunities for these companies to create better-tasting products without the calories.”

Expansion to Europe and beyond
PureCircle is working on expanding access to fermented sugarcane Reb M to more countries throughout Europe. 

These developments open the door to some exciting new stevia combinations and benefits from both a taste and cost-in-use perspective across the region.  

PureCircle, with the support of Ingredion, has and will continue to invest and innovate to provide food and beverage formulators with the best and most comprehensive naturally sourced sweetener toolbox available.

The stevia space has seen important advances in both regulation and technology. 

In 2021, Sweegen earned regulatory approval in Europe for its “highly sought-after” Signature Stevia Reb M.