PureCircle targets tailored stevia solutions
The stevia leaf contains over 40 steviol glycosides, each with different performance attributes. This can make identifying the right combination of stevia ingredients for a specific product both costly and time-consuming. PureCircle believes there is, therefore, demand in the market for a solution that can recognise the best combinations for any given product.
PureCircle already offers Stigma Solutions, a range of stevia glycoside combinations designed for different categories, including dairy and beverages.
According to John Martin, PureCircle’s Senior Global Technical Director, the X-celerator takes PureCircle’s Sigma Solutions product offering “one step further”.
The X-celerator tool will see PureCircle will work in collaboration with customers to find the right ingredient profile for a customer’s base, taking into account factors such as sugar reduction targets, speed to market, cost and solubility.
“PureCircle already offers Sigma Solutions… [which are] specifically tailored to a given category,” Martin explained. “The Sigma X-celerator project provides a solution which takes these one step further. Sigma X-celerator delivers a stevia solution which accounts for customer taste, cost, regulatory considerations and other customer objectives.”
In fact, Martin revealed, Sigma Solutions were produced using the X-celerator tool. “Sigma solutions were developed using the Sigma-Xcelerator tool. These solutions were designed to meet a base that represents the average market basket of goods. Sigma- product takes this approach and tailors it further to a customer’s specific product.”
Martin said the tool requires “significant collaboration” between PureCircle and any F&B customer. This means that PureCircle can work with customers to leverage their internal resources to keep costs down. But whether a custom solution is proprietary to the customer depends on how the deal is structured.
“Certain customers are not concerned since stevia will taste different in other bases and take security in the notion. If the solution is not customer-exclusive the price is ultimately lower,” Martin said.
In other words, who owns the final solution is dependent on upon if the customer wants to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
