News

Evolva gets European stevia patent

30 May 2016

Evolva has announced that the European Patent Office has granted the company a patent in respect of stevia-sweeteners made possible through the introduction of yeast fermentation-derived steviol glycosides.

Evolva has announced that the European Patent Office has granted the company a patent in respect of stevia-sweeteners made possible through the introduction of yeast fermentation-derived steviol glycosides.

At the heart of this enabling IP lies what the company describes as a novel technique for converting rebaudioside A (Reb A) to what it claims is the best tasting, and as a result most commercially relevant, rebaudioside D (Reb D) and rebaudioside M (Reb M) ingredients through fermentation.

Evolva says it was the first company to discover the enzymes capable of carrying out the key unknown steps in the Reb A and Reb D biosynthesis pathways, and notes that this discovery enables the production of these steviol glycosides through bioprocessing, solving the taste and cost conundrum of stevia sweeteners that Evolva says has limited their broader commercial use.

Evolva currently has 54 patents pending around the world related to yeast fermentation-derived steviol glycosides. With the addition of this most recent patent, Evolva says it now has four commercially relevant stevia sweetener patents granted.