PureCircle Reb M Stevia Gains GRAS Affirmation

CHICAGOPureCircle's Rebaudioside M (Reb M) has been affirmed generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as a general purpose sweetener for foods and beverages.

High-purity Reb M (also known as Reb X) has a closer taste to table sugar than previous stevia ingredients, allowing for deeper calorie reductions in food and beverage products, particularly those that have higher levels of sweetness. The clean, sugar-like sweetness of high-purity Reb M is appealing to consumers seeking naturally sweetened food and beverage formulations with few to no calories.

The discovery and development of Reb M resulted from a previously announced joint development and 5-year supply agreement with The Coca-Cola Company. Together the companies are seeking global intellectual property coverage for the ingredient.

Earlier this year, PureCircle announced FDA's No Objection" letter for the use its Rebaudioside D (Reb D) as a general purpose sweetener for foods and beverages.