Stevia First Corp. all set for pilot-scale testing

Stevia First, an early-stage agribusiness based in California's Central Valley, has been focusing on te development of fermentation technologies for stevia, the results of which will be in test phase. Its investment in pilot-scale stevia extraction equipment and related internal research hopes to yield cost-efficient extraction methods that can easily fit a scalable stevia production system, and replace older technologies many of which have been developed at least 20 years ago, such as those from Japan for the development of stevioside in the 1970s.

The process of stevia extraction involves the separation of steviol glycosides from other substances, and it is required for traditional leaf-based production as well as modern fermentation-based production methods.

The pilot stage systems at Stevia First are used to reduce the risk associated with construction of larger-scale production facilities and to better define key parameters of innovative processes. Aiming directly at meeting or exceeding California's stringent food safety and environmental standards, which serve to attract multinational companies to adopt domestic stevia for use in new food and beverage products, Stevia First is employing specialized, sanitary, food-grade equipment for much of the pilot-scale development work.

"Our plans for an industrial-scale stevia production system in the United States are already well under way," said CEO Robert Brooke. "Momentum is building towards this goal, and we expect this to continue as we execute on fermentation-based stevia production milestones, and provide additional evidence that key engineering targets are being met."

Related link: Stevia market