NEW Stevia Chocolate will be available in the Uk in January 2012,

[Veena Annadana]

NEW Stevia Chocolate will be available in the Uk in January 2012,
Submitted by LUCF4 on Sun, 09/18/2011 - 13:04
in Health



Press Release Dorset confectionery company has been awarded the exclusivity to distribute in the Uk the NEW healthy Stevia Chocolate
What is Stevia?
Stevia is short for Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni. It is a small green plant originating from the border area between Paraguay and Brazil. Its leaves contain Stevioside, a strong sweetener that is up to 300 times sweeter tasting than ordinary sugar. The plant itself contains Rebaudioside A, among other things, which is even sweeter than Stevioside and has less of a bitter aftertaste.
Is Stevia safe?
Yes, research shows that Stevia is perfectly safe. Despite 10 years of research into potential downsides in quantities, no adverse effects are known of to date, on the contrary even, health benefits have been demonstrated with intake in higher quantities. The EFSA, the European Food Standards Agency is also convinced of this and has officially approved the use of Stevia.
Why are we hearing about Stevia only now?
Stevia has actually been used for centuries as a natural sweetener in countries such as China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Israel, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay. In Japan for instance Stevia is added to soft drinks as a healthy replacement for Aspartame.
Due to the availability and the emergence of cheaper sugar and synthetic sweeteners, the effect of Stevia remained a well-kept secret in Europe.
In view of the socioeconomic importance of these sectors over the past 10 years the politicians have reviewed the policy on sugar subsidies resulting in refineries being closed, this has created a gap for Stevia.
What are the most significant benefits of Stevia?
We have listed the main benefits of Stevia for you below:
• Completely natural
• Huge sweetening power (300 times sweeter than sugar)
• Only small quantities needed
• Frequently tested and found to be 100% safe
• Unlike some sweeteners, totally non-carcinogenic
• Stable when heated, hence suitable for frying and boiling
• Non-addictive, unlike ordinary sugar, for instance
• Results in less plaque on teeth and fewer fillings
• Contains zero calories and contributes to driving down obesity
• etc.
Chocolate with Stevia is an exquisite way of enjoying delicious quality chocolate without worrying about health. Because healthy sweetened chocolate contains no glucose, granulated sugar or fructose but we still manage to keep the authentic taste of chocolate. For information relating to Stevia Healthy Chocolate please contact-- Lucio Forgione t:01258 450200 - f:01258 450606 – e-mail:info@sarunds.co.uk


Submitted by LUCF4 on Sun, 09/18/2011 - 13:04
in Health

Source: NEW Stevia Chocolate will be available in the Uk in January 2012, | Perspicacious

 

[Veena Annadana]

Natural sweetener stevia clears its first hurdle

Natural sweetener stevia clears its first hurdle
Viveat Susan Pinto / Mumbai September 21, 2011, 1:08 IST
Food safety regulator recommends natural alternative for soft drink concentrates, chewing gums and others.

For the growing number of calorie conscious-consumers, who would prefer a more natural alternative to sugar, there could be good news. A scientific panel for food additives at the apex Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the regulatory body which makes rules for food safety, has recommended the use of stevia, a natural sweetener for use in carbonated water, soft drink concentrates, chewing gums and table-top sweeteners.

The recommendations represent the first hurdle crossed by leading fast moving consumer goods companies such as soft drinks major Coca-Cola, branded edible oil & commodities major Cargill India and PureCircle (a stevia supplier), which had applied for permission for its usage in the country.
The recommendations will have to be cleared by an expert panel of FSSAI, a draft notification will then be circulated to all stakeholders before the final change is notified. The process can take eight to twelve months.

The panel has recommended up to 200 milligrams per kg of steviol equivalent, which is an active component in stevia, in carbonated water and soft drink concentrates. In chewing gums, the panel has recommended up to 3,500 milligrams per kg of steviol equivalent, while in table-top sweeteners the panel has not prescribed an upper limit leaving it to the discretion of the manufacturer instead who will have to declare how much he is using per tablet on the pack.

It has, however, sought clarity on the use of stevia in table-top sweeteners.

While Coca-Cola declined to comment, Ishteyaque Amjad, director, corporate affairs at Cargill said the move was a positive one. "We haven't received the letter from the FSSAI. But when we do, we will respond to it,” he said. Cargill markets the second-largest table-top sweetener in the US called Truvia.

This product uses two additives stevia and erythritol in combination with each other.

Stevia is a species of herbs and shrubs, which was first grown in both north and south America. As a sweetener, stevia's taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar-and is an attractive natural sweetener for people with diabetes or who prefer low sugar diets.

Industry experts, however, say that while the shrub is available in retail stores and grown in some places in south India, the sugar lobby has not taken too well to the alternative. The reason, say FMCG companies, is that as much as 60 per cent of sugar produced in the country is consumed by alcohol, beverages and confectionery companies.

The popularity of stevia could pose a challenge to them.

Stevia extracts are up to 300 times sweeter than sugar. To achieve the profile of sugar, therefore, using it with another additive helps.

Globally, Stevia is approved as a food additive in a number of countries, including the US, China, Japan, Mexico, France, Paraguay, Korea, Brazil, Israel, Malaysia and Taiwan. In Japan it accounts for over 40 per cent of the sweetener market there. The European Union is on track to clear stevia for use by the end of this year.

The additive this year was approved by CODEX Alimentarius, an international body created by the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Health Organisation, for usage across product forms.

While the recommendations by FSSAI's scientific panel for food additives do not explicitly state whether stevia can be used in combination with another additive, food science experts say it would have helped had that been considered as well. A detailed mail to FSSAI seeking answers to these questions remained unanswered. "People prefer the taste of sugar. And if stevia can be used in combination with another additive, it will help," said the managing director of a food company, requesting anonymity.

Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi in India, for instance, use aspartame and acesulfame K, which are synthesied, high-intense sweeteners.

If stevia is allowed to be used in combination with low-intense sweeteners, it could go a long way in helping manufacturers replace high-intense, synthesied sweeteners, which are said to have adverse effects in case of high usage, said experts.

Apart from aspartame and acesulfame K, the other high-intense sweeteners permitted in India include splenda or sucralose and saccharine.

Source: Natural sweetener stevia clears its first hurdle

 

[Veena Annadana]

STEVIA: A crop promise for Sri Lanka?

STEVIA: A crop promise for Sri Lanka?
September 26, 2011, 7:17 pm


by Dr. U. Pethiyagoda

Introduction

With recent advances in the control of infectious diseases, the so-called non-communicable diseases (or NCD’s) have come into prominence. Major ones are cardiac diseases, obesity, diabetes and cancer. In all of these, the excessive consumption of sugar has been implicated.

A crude calculation will be enlightening. The total World consumption of sugar (cane and beet) is estimated at about 168 million tons Suppose that just 1% can be directed to sugar substitutes, this is still 1.68 million tons sugar equivalent. Even if the substitutes were assumed (optimistically) to be 100 times as sweet as sugar (sucrose) this still translates to 16,800 tons equivalent.

The commercial prospects for sugar substitutes even at these minimum assumptions, is therefore enormous. Consequently, the struggle for acceptance is also correspondingly intense. A succession of possible substitutes have been promoted by their proponents and equally vigorously contested by their competitors. Thus fructose (fruit sugar), saccharin, cyclamates, aspartame, sucralose are some of the major stars that have shone for a while and then faded in the torrents of medical reports cataloguing their undesirable effects. The strongest reason is because they are mainly synthetics, derived often from petroleum compounds and therefore suspected to have carcinogenic, neurological, muscular or other harmful properties.

The latest entrant is Stevia which has the special virtue of being a "natural". In the crude form, it has been used for centuries by South American tribes (in Paraguay)as a sweetener for theirherbal teas, foods and medicines. It is believed by them to be a cure for diabetes. The fresh leaf or dried leaf powder is used and it is called "sweet leaf" or "sugar leaf"..

Of special interest to us is the fact that the plant is a shrub Eupatorium rebaudianawhich is a close relative of the common and free growing weed of coconut plantations "podisinghomaran" or Eupatorium pratense. It is a reasonable assumption that the useful Stevia may grow easily as an intercrop or alternative to coconut. It is, after all, a kind of "first cousin" of one of our most troublesome and rampantly growing weeds. The market for alternative sweeteners is so large and rapidly expanding that investigation of Stevia as an alternative crop would be timely.

The US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) which is a common standard has progressively and finally accepted Stevia as a permitted food additive. The tardiness and ambiguity in acceptance is suspected to be due as much to commercial and political pressures as to health reservations. While rigorous safety tests in clinical trials on humans is a normal pre-requisite for approval, foods which have been in wide use from before 1958, and with no reported ill-effects are also permissible. Stevia which has been in use for centuries,easily qualifies under this proviso and is now in popular use in several countries including USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, Israel and several others. Japan, where it is said to account for 40% of artificial sweetener use, is a massive importer. Many countries have started growing it and China is the leader. .

The sweetness of Stevia is due to two alkaloids (not carbohydrates) – stevioside and rebauside. They are reported to be 200-300 times sweeter than cane sugar and have zero calories. Thus, Stevia products are considered ideal for type 2 diabetics and weight watchers.

Commercially, the product is presented as dried leaf powder, crystallized water extracts or as refined, powdered pure alkaloids. Naturally, the sweetness of the different products varies. Purification and crystallization into a white, free running powder is reportedly uncomplicated.

Sri Lanka is in search of export opportunities besides tea, Rubber, Coconut and Minor Crops. Stevia could well be an addition with promise. It is likely to grow easily, be readily processed, amenable to storage and with a sizeable local market in addition to exports. Of topical interest is that coconut in the deep South which is faced with a potentially devastating disease, may find this to be a fine opportunity to grow a close relation of a plant that until recently was one of its most worrying weeds!

The Agronomy is well known and publicized. Planting material should be available from foreign sources, the plant is easily (and preferably) propagated by cuttings, comes into production rapidly processing is simple and it should find many appropriate locations for its successful cultivation.

To give two "ball park" indicators, I recently bought off the shelves, a pack in Singapore. It cost me 14 Singapore dollars for80 sachets of 1 gram each. At Rs 88/= per Sing D , this works out to Rs 15,400/= per kilo. A friend gifted me a packet of seeds – it cost him nearly 50 Swiss dollars,( SL Rs 6,000/= +) he told me, for 150 seeds! Fortunately, it is said to be easily, and preferably propagated by stem cuttings. These give an indication of the current potential for the crop. Should Sri Lanka not be seriously interested? Several companies abroad – especially in India , advertise planting stock for sale.

I must confess that Stevia imparted a very faint "greenish" taste but this is probably a reaction of the tongue to an unfamiliar flavour. It is most likely to soon disappear with use.

Source: The Island