Natural flavour masker for stevia

STEVIA has become the darling of low- to non-caloric foods and beverage industry since the sweetener's approval in the United States and France. Yet formulators reportedly have to deal with the bitter or liquorice-like aftertaste sometimes experienced with Reb A, the high purity extract of the Stevia plant used in Stevia sweeteners. Purac, the latest company to release a natural flavour masker to help mask off-flavours associated with Stevia, claims that its lactic acid ingredient works particularly well in combination with citric acid. FPMJ spoke with Simone Bouman, market unit manager, Food Division, Purac Asia Pacific, about interest in stevia and the company's role in food formulation trends and developments.

Speaking of trends in the last ten years, what three ingredient solutions from Purac would you say helped to raise the level of product development? In what particular way did they enhance the product?

In the last decade, Asia has seen strong growth in the confectionery industry. Purac offers speciality acid buffers that enhance the shelf life of confectionery products like hard candies, chewies and gelatine gums. Since the climate in many Asian countries is hot and humid, the shelf life of candies, for example, is a real concern for confectionery producers. Our acid buffers prevent sugar inversion and minimise gelatine breakdown. At the same time, they provide fresh sourness and enhance the intensity of the fruit flavour. This decade has also seen a steep growth in the functional food market - globally and in Asia. If we look at fortified foods, calcium fortification has gained a lot of awareness. Many food products are fortified with calcium to build and main strong bones and teeth. Puracal is the preferred calcium fortification in dairy, beverages, soymilk and other applications. Puracal calcium lactate offers a high solubility, is highly bioavailable and has a very neutral taste compared to other calcium sources. Purac's solutions for taste improvement and flavour enhancement have generated lots of interest in the food industry. Our highly purified lactic acid, either in powder or liquid form, is used in both sweet and savoury applications as a flavour enhancer. Savoury flavours such as cheese, meat and dairy product are enhanced by the use of Purac Powder (lactic acid powder) in dry seasoning mixes. In beverages, Purac Fit Plus (natural and pure lactic acid) is highly effective in masking off-flavours of high-intensity sweeteners such as Stevia and Sucralose. Besides flavour enhancement, Purac's lactic acid effectively controls pH in the food products.

With respect to Stevia, how do you explain the sudden surge of interest in this sweetener? Cost-wise, isn't it more expensive?

The sudden surge interest is due to the fact that of all high-intensity sweeteners, Stevia is a natural sweetener. As an alternative to sugar, Stevia boasts two key attributes that make it particularly attractive. First, it can be up to 300 times sweeter than sugar and, second, it has zero calorific content, making it particularly attractive for use in 'diet' products. Given these qualities, it is of little surprise that Stevia has become so popular. Today's consumers are becoming more health conscious, and as a result, are turning to natural food ingredients, rather that chemical-based ingredients. From a taste perspective, Stevia does have an aftertaste, which can best be described as drying. Our flavour-masking ingredient, Purac Fit Plus, being a natural lactic acid helps to mask the aftertaste and balance the overall flavour of the beverage. Since both Stevia and Purac Fit Plus are natural, this combination works very well in the beverage industry.

How long did Purac take to develop its natural flavour masker for Stevia?News