Antioxidant action will become a new selling point for products containing stevia leaf extract

As we all know, stevioside extracted from stevia leaves is a natural and calorie-free high-intensity sweetener. It has been widely used in the food and beverage industry, and it has become more and more specific. Now, the world's first commercial anti-oxidant stevia leaf extract is coming soon, which is a great initiative for food and beverage manufacturers.

The world's first commercial stevia leaf antioxidant

This antioxidant stevia leaf product is the latest innovation of PureCircle, a Malaysia-based company. As the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of high-purity stevioside raw materials, Paceco uses the power of this small leaf plant to continuously promote the active development of the food and beverage industry, allowing brands to use natural sweetness without sacrificing taste Options provide consumers with healthier products while reducing calories. At this year's IFT annual meeting, Paceco released the world's first commercial stevia leaf antioxidant, and decided to officially put it on the market in 2018. Stevia leaves are native to South America and have a natural sweetness, from which stevia sweeteners can be extracted to help food manufacturers produce low-calorie or zero-calorie products.

In fact, research has long found that there are antioxidant components in plants such as stevia leaves, but their commercial use has not been developed. Although some researchers are already aware of the antioxidant properties of stevia leaves, however, only Specelco has isolated these antioxidants through a unique extraction and purification process worldwide to obtain the first commercial antioxidant product. It is the first in the industry.

The antioxidant effect is much higher than coffee bean extract and green tea extract

At the IFT annual meeting, Carolyn Clark, Global Marketing & Innovation Director of Spectrum, said: "The main antioxidant component in stevia leaves is chlorogenic acid, which is also a well-known antioxidant component in green coffee bean extract. Actually On the top, chlorogenic acid accounts for about 1.5% of the dry weight of the leaves in stevia leaves, and the content of the most common stevioside Reb A in stevia leaves is about six times the content of chlorogenic acid. Although the content of chlorogenic acid is much smaller than Reb A, but it is also valuable and meaningful to be able to separate it and use it. In addition, it also means that Pepsico can make the most of stevia leaves to produce more functional products and reduce the leaves that might have been wasted in the past. "

Clark also talked about the antioxidant effect of the stevia leaf ingredients. The oxygen free radical absorption capacity ORAC value of chlorogenic acid extracted from stevia leaves (a kind of antioxidant capacity analysis index, the higher the value, the stronger the antioxidant capacity) is about 9000μmol / TE / 100g, much higher than coffee bean extract (ORAC value 2500μmol / TE / 100g). The ORAC value of common blueberries is 9621 μmol / TE / 100g, cranberry is 9090 μmol / TE / 100g, and green tea is only 1253μmol / TE / 100g. (The data comes from the oxygen free radical absorption capacity of certain foods in the USDA database).

Antioxidant action will become a new selling point for products containing stevia leaf extract

Foodaily learned that Paceco hopes to obtain GRAS certification in 2018 (the FDA evaluates the safety indicators of food additives, Generally Recognized as Safe, generally considered safe), and then successfully develop Stevia leaf antioxidant products in food and beverages Application path. At present, this antioxidant ingredient can be used in the field of dietary supplements, because Stevia leaf antioxidants are originally isolated and purified from Stevia leaf extracts, so they can be directly applied to diets without applying for permission to submit new dietary supplements In food, tedious steps are omitted.

At the same time, Clark also said that the company will also strive to establish a commercial production scale of antioxidant ingredients, and will sell this antioxidant as an independent commodity along with other stevia sweeteners. Stevia leaf antioxidants are derived from natural plants and not only have a mild flavor and taste, but also have the characteristics of a clean label. There are some similar plant-based antioxidant ingredients on the market, but there are always some shortcomings that are not long-lasting. Fortunately, the technical experts of Pepsico have successfully developed this subversive stevia leaf antioxidant.

At present, the company has provided some customers with samples of stevia leaf antioxidants. The product is still in the trial and test phase. It is expected that it will first be released in the United States in 2018 and will officially land on the European market soon thereafter. Although the regulatory authority will approve the labeling of the product, Paceco hopes to name the label "Stevia Leaf Extract (Antioxidant)". Similar to super ingredients, stevia leaf extract is rich in nutrients and has significant health benefits. 

The effective antioxidant ingredients in the product can inhibit the production and function of free radicals and protect the body from damage to the body and cells caused by free radicals. Data analysis by market consulting company Mintel also shows that due to the increasing consumer demand for a healthy lifestyle, among the new products launched globally in the past five years, the number of products with antioxidant claims has increased by 18%. Faith Son, Vice President of Marketing & Innovation at Spectrum, said, "Stevia leaves, as an antioxidant, can not only help food and beverage companies bring more health benefits to consumers, but also bring uniqueness like some super ingredients. And high-quality flavor and taste. Although Stevia leaves contain antioxidant ingredients, they can be effectively extracted and used, which is a major commercial advancement. "

Earlier this year, Pseco completed a $ 42 million expansion of a stevia leaf plant in Malaysia, doubling the output of stevia leaf extract to meet the growing demand for stevia leaves in the global market.