Amyris, a developer and producer of sustainable ingredients for the health and wellness, clean beauty and flavours and fragrances markets, has announced that its zero-calorie sweetener made from sugarcane has received designation as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) by an independent expert panel. This designation is based on FDA requirements and allows Amyris to begin commercially selling its new, natural, zero-calorie sweetener.

“Our investors and prospective customers are as excited by this news as we are. We have the ability to deliver the lowest cost, natural sweetener to market,” said John Melo, Amyris President and CEO. “We’ve known for a while that our plant-based, zero-calorie sweetener tastes really great – our testers have said it tastes just like sugar and that’s because it’s made naturally from sugarcane. Besides tasting great, it has zero calories and no chemicals that are bad for you or for our planet. Now, we can provide a better option for people, including those who may be managing diabetes or other personal, health concerns. Finally, there’s a healthy and great tasting sweetener for everything from coffee, to barbecue sauce to the chocolates we cherish. Working with our partners, we will now be able to bring to consumers all the sweetness they desire but with none of the health dangers or bad aftertaste and, of course, with zero calories.”

Amyris plans to commercially launch its sweetener during the fourth quarter of 2018 and will host an invitation-only tasting as part of the launch. This, it says, is a special opportunity for investors, media and guests to be among the first to sample the new sweetener on its own and as an ingredient in a selection of products, before it’s introduced to the rest of the world.