BioVittoria, the New Zealand based producer of natural sweetener from the luo han guo fruit (monkfruit) grown in China, is awaiting approval to introduce its products into the European market. This follows GRAS (generally recognised as safe) approval from the USFDA earlier this year.
BioVittoria has been working with UK-based RSSL on samples of the BioVittoria sweetener Fruit-Sweetness. These have been tested with the products of leading European food producers with positive results. Fruit-Sweetness is 150 times sweeter than cane sugar and has none of the characteristic inflections of bitterness found in other natural sweeteners.
BioVittoria chief executive David Thorrold is quoted in British media saying, “Since we received our no objection letter from the FDA we have had phenomenal interest. A number of products incorporating Fruit-Sweetness have already been launched in the US, and there are projects underway using it at most of the world’s largest food and beverage companies.
“In the technical work we have done we have found it performs very well in most food and beverage systems. There are significant opportunities in confectionery categories such as gum, which is already largely sugar-free, and carbonated soft drinks.”
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