OAK BROOK, Ill. -- In news that could lead the next wave of low-calorie beverages from Coca-Cola, PureCircle, the world’s largest stevia producer and marketer, announced that the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved use of PureCircle Rebaudioside M, or Reb M, as a general-purpose sweetener for foods and beverages in the United States.
High-purity Reb M (also known as Reb X) has a closer taste to table sugar than previous stevia ingredients, according to the company, allowing for deeper calorie reductions in food and beverage products, particularly those that have higher levels of sweetness.
The discovery and development of Reb M resulted from a previously announced joint development and five-year supply agreement with the Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta. Together the companies are seeking global intellectual property coverage for the ingredient.
The clean, sugar-like sweetness of high-purity Reb M is appealing to consumers seeking naturally sweetened food and beverage formulations with few to no calories, PureCircle reported. Its commercialization will play an important role in extending PureCircle’s Stevia 3.0TM innovation, which optimizes taste in stevia-sweetened foods and beverages.
PureCircle, Oak Brook, Ill., is a global leader in production and marketing of high-purity stevia ingredients.
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