All Natural Sweetener Truvia Debuts in the United States
Posted on January 20, 2009
Filed Under News, Truvia | 4 Comments
There is a new all natural sweetener on the market … Truvia!
Truvia Sweetener Debuts in the United States
Truvia is a new sweetener that has recently been approved by the FDA in 2008. Cargill, a company based in Wayzata, MN, and developed in partnership with The Coca-Cola Company, markets Truvia. Rebiana is the trade name for Truvia, named after the compound Rebaudioside A. Rebaudiosize A is isolated from the leaves of a plant called stevia. The compound was isolated from the plant because it is the sweetest part of the stevia plant, creating a great and natural sweet taste. The plant usually has a bitter aftertaste, but Truvia has been modified to decrease this aftertaste. The stevia plant is a shrub native to Paraguay. It is also grown for its sweet leaves in South and Central America. The plant is commercially grown in China. Stevia had been used in Japan for decades before it was approved in the United States.
What is Truvia?
The extract from the stevia plant is 300 times sweeter than sugar and it has been used as a sweetener for food and drinks for over 200 years. The process of making sugar from this plant is similar to the tea making process. The leaves are harvested and dried and steeped into fresh water. It is then purified and crystallized.
For many years, the stevia plant has also been used as an herbal dietary supplement. stevia has also been widely used by natural food advocates, but in the past it was not allowed to be used as a food additive because of questions regarding safety.
Truvia differs from many other stevia products because it is supported by extensive safety studies.
Brief History of Truvia
Cargill and Coca-Cola, who are both giants in the food industry teamed up to create a four-year effort to conduct scientific studies and to refine and remove the sweet elements of the stevia plant. The two companies were able to extract the sweetest elements of the plant and eliminate the bitterness it naturally gives off. They also funded many different toxicological safety tests to prove that it is safe to be put on the market.
In May 2008, Cargill and Coca-Cola revealed a series of scientific studies to demonstrate stevia’s safety. The studies were presented to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The studies were also published in the advance online edition of Food and Chemical Toxicology. The results of the studies showed no signs of possible health issues and that stevia is safe in reasonable doses. Some, but not all studies have been conducted on laboratory animals.
Many people are pleased that the companies have conducted reliable studies using good resources. It eases the mind of using a controversial product.
The Perfectly Natural Alternative to Artificial Sweeteners
Erythritol and natural flavors are also added to Truvia. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that is naturally fermented. It is also found in pears and grapes. Erythritol is made by a culture similar to the process of making yogurt from milk. It is more than 99 percent pure.
Truvia has no calories. It of course tastes sweet, but it does not have an aftertaste like some artificial sweeteners. It has a different consistency than sugar. The crystals taste similar to the glaze on donuts.
Truvia is a healthy alternative to NutraSweet, Splenda, Equal, and other artificial sweeteners because it is a natural sweetener. Stevia is a better substitute than the chemical processed sweeteners, aspartame and sucralose. It also tastes better than artificial sweeteners. Stevia has a lower glycemic load, which means that when it hits the bloodstream, the insulin response is lower and less severe. This means that it is also a good alternative for people with Diabetes.
The Truvia crystals come packaged in little packets in a flip-top container. The flip-top box was designed and manufactured in St. Paul, MN. The packets are green and white. It is ironic that the package is green, because it is considered an all natural green product. One packet of Truvia is equivalent to two spoonfuls of sugar. The packets are very convenient for using in coffee and on food. Currently, Truvia is not sold in large amounts, but it most likely will be as its popularity increases.
Currently Truvia is in its early stages, but it is used in Odwalla juices and sodas, such as Sprite Green. It may eventually be used in Coke, ice cream, yogurt, cookies, and other sugar filled things. It takes a lot of time to create products, often 2 years. Other food companies may be using Truvia in their products in the early part of 2009.
Since Truvia’s debut it has competed with the other artificial sweeteners. However, Truvia has one big competitor, PureVia, which is Pepsi’s own Stevia product. Stevia supplements may also become more mainstream in the market and replace some of the artificial sweeteners.
Truvia Sweetener Debuts in United States
Posted on October 28, 2008
Filed Under News | 1 Comment
Truvia, a new natural no-calorie sweetener developed by a joint collaboration of Cargill and The Coca Cola Company, has been launched in the US. The product is available online at Truvia.com, and is also available in a few select supermarkets in New York. Cargill plans to introduce Truvia across the rest of the country this fall.
The sweetener is made from rebiana, the compound in the stevia plant that has the sweetest taste. Truvia thus differs from earlier stevia-based products that included a mix of several stevia compounds in their base. The mix of compounds led to a bitter licorice-like after taste in the mouth, and with this new product, Cargill claims to deliver a pure sweetener that has no unpleasant after taste. All that pure natural sweetness is slightly pricey. A box of 40 sachets can set you back by $3.99.
Stevia-based products are popular in Asian countries like Japan, where they are found in food and beverage products, but the US has only allowed these products to be promoted as dietary supplements within its borders. With Truvia, Cargill can claim to have the first freely available table top sweetener based on stevia extracts. The company also plans to expand applications for stevia usage across the food and beverage industry. Over the next 12 months, you can expect to find Truvia added to cereals and yoghurt, giving health conscious consumers a wider variety of natural sweetener-added products to choose from.
Even with the FDA’s earlier concerns about stevia’s safety, Truvia is expected to be a success, in a market that has no natural, great tasting, zero calorie alternatives to sugar. Other companies, including Dr Pepper Snapple Group and PepsiCo, have also announced their plans to develop stevia based sweeteners. With all that choice, consumers are set for a sweet choice in sweeteners over the next year or so.
Studies Prove Truvia is Safe for Use
Posted on October 24, 2008
Filed Under Health, News | 2 Comments
The new natural sweetener brand on the block, Truvia, is the first stevia based product that isn’t labeled as a dietary supplement. Truvia, which made its grand debut in select supermarkets of the D’Agostino chain in New York in July, is made from rebiana, what the company calls the “best tasting part of the stevia leaf.” Unlike other stevia based products that the FDA has refused to categorize as a food additive due to safety concerns, Truvia is being promoted as a table top sweetener. Plans are on to expand its application and usage in other foods and beverages.
Before Truvia was introduced in the market, it was put through a series of safety evaluation studies by Cargill and The Coca Cola Company, who have jointly worked to develop this product. Studies showed that its use had no impact on blood sugar levels in people who suffered from type 2 diabetes. Truvia also had no effect on a healthy person’s blood pressure. Other tests conducted on lab rats found no impact of the stevia-based sweeter on fertility and reproductive health.
This should assuage the fears of those who were leery of Truvia’s safety because of earlier experiences with stevia products.
Stevia, Truvia, Purevia, Zevia … What’s in a Name?
Posted on October 20, 2008
Filed Under News | 1 Comment
A battle of names is brewing among PepsiCo, Coca Cola, and a company called Zevia LLC., that’s threatening to make life very confusing for consumers.
First, a little background on stevia, the wonder plant that’s brewing all this trouble. It’s a pest resistant plant that is native to South America, and has been used for centuries as a sweetener by the natives there.
Flash forward to a few centuries later, and the Western world was introduced to the potency of the leaves of the plant – a whopping 200 times sweeter than sugar. Stevia-based products were introduced, although the FDA did play party pooper. The agency hasn’t certified stevia’s use as a food additive, but requires it to be branded as a dietary supplement.
Now, enter the two cola giants. Coco Cola Company, in collaboration with Cargill developed a no-calorie natural sweetener using what it calls, the “best tasting” part of the stevia plant. The company also called its product Rebiana, after the sweetest compound of the stevia leaf, which it had managed to isolate. The product is available online, and at select supermarkets in the US, as Truvia.
Just as the company was on its way to introducing Truvia as an all natural sweetener, PepsiCo took the wind out of Coke’s sails with the launch of its new no-sugar beverage recalled SoBe Life, containing the company’s very own natural stevia-based sweetener, Purevia. The drink has been launched in Latin America, and is available in Peru in strawberry-kiwi, orange-tangerine, and pomegranate flavors. The Coca Cola Company, having been flummoxed by PepsiCo, has decided to zip its lips, regarding its own plans to develop a range of Truvia based no-sugar beverages. The company had announced its plans to develop a table top sweetener based on stevia extracts last year, and now, with PepsiCo’s surprise launch, has obviously decided that silence is indeed golden.
If all that wasn’t confusing enough, now there’s another new cola maker on the block which has introduced its no-sugar and no-artificial sweetener cola, called Zevia. The company claims that its three varieties of diet soda are healthier than regular diet sodas available in the market that contain artificial sweeteners. Take that, Diet Coke!
Analysts believe that all this bitter competition in the no-sugar beverage world, may not actually have the desired impact on individual sales. Customers are likely to be confused with the similar sounding names, and what they stand for. It sounds like new entrant Zevia, could actually ride the coat tails of PepsiCo and Coke to super sales!