New stevia sweetener from Tate & Lyle

Tate & Lyle has launched a stevia sweetener for food and beverage manufacturers seeking sweetness from a natural source can reduce sugar levels by 50% or more*. TASTEVA, as the new stevia sweetener is branded, provides zero-calorie sweetness without the bitter/liquorice aftertaste often associated with other high purity, stevia-based sweeteners even at this level.

“Tate & Lyle spent over two years analysing various steviol glycosides compositions and developed a proprietary process to give manufacturers the optimal balance of sweetness with 100% great taste,” says Jeremy Thompson, director of Natural Sweeteners Product Management at Tate & Lyle.

Research and global customer feedback shows that the new sweetener delivers a clean sweetness and a clear taste advantage over Reb A 97 and other stevia ingredients.

Mr Thompson added that Tate & Lyle sensory studies show that between 60 to 80 per cent of people are sensitive to the bitter aftertaste associated with high-purity Reb A sweeteners, and prefer the taste of products made with Tasteva. These advantages have been demonstrated across a wide range of food applications, including beverages and dairy.

The stevia sweetener provides a superior tasting, natural origin sugar alternative to help Tate & Lyle customers meet the challenge of reducing calories and sugar content, he said, adding that customers benefit as well from the company’s unique ingredient portfolio and deep expertise in designing sweetening solutions. “At Tate & Lyle, sweetness is in our genes,” Mr Thompson said. “With this new addition to our natural portfolio, which also includes PUREFRUIT Monk Fruit Extract, we are uniquely positioned to tackle any sweetening challenge.”

Tasteva will debut in Latin America as part of Food Ingredients South America in S?o Paulo in September 2012 and in Europe as part of Health Ingredients Europe in Frankfurt in November 2012, followed by more regional rollouts in 2013.

^*Depending on application and subject to maximum levels permissible by local regulations.