PureCircle launches new stevia leaf-based flavour enhancers

20 Jul 2017

PureCircle is launching new stevia leaf-based flavour enhancers that are said to significantly augment both vanilla and cocoa flavours, enabling companies to produce products at a manageable price point.

PureCircle launches new stevia leaf-based flavour enhancers

PureCircle is launching new stevia leaf-based flavour enhancers. These flavour enhancers are said to significantly augment both vanilla and cocoa flavours, enabling companies to produce products at a manageable price point.

The new products can be labelled as natural flavours on product ingredient labels. These enhancers build on PureCircle’s range of flavours which allows them to enhance key benefits such as mouthfeel, sweetness quality and different tonalities across a wide range of applications, the company said.

Consumer demand for natural cocoa and vanilla ingredients has never been stronger, PureCircle notes. As evidenced by global new product launches from Mintel, new products containing cocoa have grown +16% over the past 5 years, and vanilla has increased +31% over the same time period (2011 to 2016).

PureCircle’s new flavour enhancers are said to bolster companies’ supply of limited cocoa and vanilla ingredients, and thereby diversify risk strategies by introducing a plant-based solution, andwill allow developers to reduce the amounts of cocoa and vanilla alongside sugar without compromising taste.

Commodity markets for cocoa and vanilla can be highly volatile. In 2016, cocoa prices fluctuated between $2,000 and $3,000 per metric ton. Following much publicized flooding and other issues, experts have estimated that vanilla will exceed $500/kg.

These new stevia leaf discoveries enable PureCircle to engage with customers active in the $12bn cocoa market and $1bn vanilla market (based on current prices).

Along with these flavour enhancer discoveries, PureCircle said that its stevia sweeteners continue to see heavy adoption as they enable low-calorie and zero-calorie formulations of food and beverages.

“We are excited to have an opportunity to meet new needs of our customers by introducing these flavour enhancers that specifically address cocoa and vanilla,” said Faith Son, Head of Marketing and Innovation. “We strive to uncover new properties within the stevia leaf, and this breakthrough enables us to service new markets and customers in a meaningful way. PureCircle is committed to maximising the full potential extracted from each leaf, and we believe our ability to reduce sugar and enhance key flavour tonalities naturally will be a winning combination.”

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