Reb M, Reb A stevia blend offers affordable cost to food, beverage manufacturers, firm says

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Icon Foods (Portland, OR) has introduced a new stevia sweetener that it says offers affordable cost plus a clean taste. The new, proprietary sweetener blend, RA99M, combines the minor steviol glycoside Rebaudioside M with the more common glycoside Rebaudioside A.

“The resulting blend is 350 times sweeter than sugar while also masking any flavor off-notes, making it perfect for powdered drink mixes and a wide variety of other food and beverage products,” said the company in a press release.

Icon Foods partnered with China-based company BioLotus Technology Lasa Inc. to create the proprietary blend. The companies’ work considers that “factors such as growing conditions and extraction methods affect the chemical makeup (and thus the taste) of stevia’s various components and can be costly or lead to bitter notes.”

Icon Foods says it will continue to distribute high-purity Reb M, Reb A, and enzymatically treated steviol glycosides on behalf of BioLotus in North America.

Icon Foods president and CEO Thom King said in a press release: “RA99M is the pinnacle of high-intensity natural sweeteners, and it is going to change the market for manufacturers who want a clean, naturally sourced product that is versatile and affordable. It is a truly clean and neutral flavor profile that works amazingly well in ready-to-drink products thanks to its remarkable smoothness. It’s a very affordable plug-in replacement for Reb M and is specifically created for manufacturers who produce protein beverages, such as those involving dairy that use ultra-high temperatures in their packaging.”