Dive Brief:
- Several years into the stevia craze in food-processing, problems remain.
- The plant-based sweetener has a tendency to produce a licorice-like taste, rather than the sugar-sweet taste that food scientists seek. In addition, stevia can produce a metallic aftertaste.
- Researchers have worked long and hard on the problems. The first big success was the standalone glycoside known as Reb-A, which now makes up some 80- to 90-percent of the market, a source told Food Navigator.
- Other glycosides, such as Reb X and Reb D, are gaining popularity in some applications. But production requires widespread plant-breeding efforts.
Dive Insight:
Food Navigator has done a fabulous job with this article, diving deep into the problems with stevia without creating an overly long, overly complex piece. We're hard-pressed to find such serious discussions about the plant and its uses that are written for non-scientists. If you're a food researcher, you already know this stuff. If you're anyone else in the food industry, we recommend the article.