Two New Stevia Sweetener Options: Truvia & PureVia

Stevia lovers rejoice!

Long used in Japan and South and Central America, Rebiana (Reb A) has finally made it's debut on the US market with FDA approval.

Rebiana is the trade name given to the sweet extracts from any of the 240 species of Stevia plant. The compounds responsible for the sweetness are known as stevioside and rebaudioside.

Back in December 2008, the FDA granted GRAS status to two versions of Rebiana A (Reb A) as a general purpose sweetener, not just as a supplement.

One of the approved products, Truvia™ [.pdf file], was developed by a partnership between Coca-Cola and Cargill.

The other, PureVia™, was developed by a partnership between PepsiCo, PureCircle, and Whole Earth Sweetener.

Both contain Reb A at 95% purity or greater.

Previous attempts by other companies at getting FDA approval had been unsuccessful. The FDA cited insufficient and conflicting experimental data regarding the safety of Reb A.

New R&D data generated by these ingredient and beverage giants was submitted concurrently and met the rigid criteria, ending a greater than five year research expedition in sweet victory.

Cargill, which recruited top scientists to execute the rigorous safety experimentation for Truvia™, even published the data for public view.

According to Marcelo Montero, President of Cargill Health & Nutrition,

"Given the extensive research conducted to assure the safety of Truvia™ rebiana, Cargill has tremendous confidence in the product.

"The FDA letter further validates what the science has concluded - that Truvia™ rebiana is safe for all consumers.

"The FDA brought the appropriate rigor to the process and we are extremely pleased with the news."

PepsiCo also received the same letter from the FDA for PureVia™.

Not long after the designation, both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo announced plans to launch products that incorporate their respective ingredients.

Peter Milsted, sales and marketing director for PureCircle, feels that these new products by PepsiCo and Coca-Cola will help place stevia into the mainstream and motivate other companies to launch new products as well.

He says,

"It now opens the door for Reb A to be used right across the food spectrum.

"Other manufacturers now will feel sufficiently confident to go ahead and incorporate it into their own product development."

In related news, current research is underway to develop products to mask unpleasant bitterness and aftertastes that sometimes accompany Reb A. This certainly provides additional growth potential for manufacturers and distributors of Reb A and related products.

Also, Since Reb A is so much sweeter than sugar, imagine the potential cost savings that may result from competitive pricing, especially with the backdrop of the fluctuating sugar market.

So it seems that Reb A is here to stay. It's likely we'll even start to see packets of stevia extracts on tables next to the sugar and Splenda® at our favorite restaurants, making us think before we say, "Please pass the sugar."