News

Sweegen gets GRAS for BESTEVIA e+

1 Jul 2019

Stevia-based sweetener company SweeGen has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) No Objection Letter for BESTEVIA Rebaudioside E ("Reb E") stevia leaf sweetener for use in foods.

"Reb E is one of the main components in our BESTEVIA e+. It was specifically created for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in response to concerns from some regarding application IP for Reb M in beverages," said Shari Joslin, VP of Application Technology. "BESTEVIA e+ provides a mouthfeel and taste closest to sugar.”

BESTEVIA e+ is said to show great success in reducing sugar and artificial sweeteners in many applications, such as beverage, dairy, sports nutrition, condiments and bakeries.

"BESTEVIA e+ provides a clean, sugar-like taste at a price equivalent to sugar. In addition to the success we have with our non-GMO BESTEVIA Reb M and Reb D, we are excited to add BESTEVIA e+ to our sweetener portfolio," said Katharina Pueller, director natural sweetener business.

BESTEVIA Reb E, SweeGen's non-caloric, high-purity stevia sweetener, is produced from the stevia leaf through a non-GMO bioconversion process. The FDA acknowledged in a letter dated June 21, 2019 that it evaluated the application and has no further questions regarding the conclusion that Reb E is GRAS under its intended use in foods.

Reb E was commercialized at the end of 2018 and is said to be available in large quantities. Having now received the No Objection Letter from the FDA, SweeGen says it will continue to pursue global approvals.