Fruit-Sweetness Receives FDA GRAS

HAMILTON, New ZealandBioVittoria, producer and processor of monk fruit (luo han guo), received FDA-approved GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status for its branded monk fruit concentrate Fruit-Sweetness as a sweetener and flavor enhancer. Fruit-Sweetness is an all-natural zero-calorie fruit concentrate.    

Monk fruit has been a traditional food in South East Asia for hundreds of years, but the existing technology for cultivating and processing the fruit could not provide the volume, product consistency and taste quality needed in a natural sweetener for the food and beverage industry. said BioVittorias CEO David Thorrold. BioVittoria made advances in plant varieties, seedling cultivation, growing methods and fruit processing, creating a vertically integrated monk fruit supply chain.

The zero-calorie sweetness of monk fruit concentrate comes from naturally occurring compounds in the fruit that are up to 300 times sweeter than sugar, meaning one-fourth gram of Fruit-Sweetness can replace 8 teaspoons of sugar.