CIC introduces new sweetener – Stevia
View(s):CIC’s Industrial Solutions Division has said it is the sole agent for Stevia provided by PureCircle, a major provider of natural sweeteners to the global food and beverage industry. Stevia is a naturally sourced, zero-calorie sweetener that has been used as a natural sugar substitute and flavouring ingredient for hundreds of years.
CIC supplies this natural sweetener for industrial use to food and beverage manufacturers across the country, the company said in a media release. The stevia plant is native to South America and was first consumed there over 200 years ago when the indigenous people used the leaves of the plant to sweeten beverages or chewed them for their sweet taste. The plant leaves, often called “sweet herb,” were dried and used to sweeten teas and medicines or were simply chewed on as a sweet treat. Stevia plants grow and are harvested in many countries around the world, predominantly in China and Brazil. The plants grow 2-4 feet in height with slim, branched stems, and thrive in temperate and some tropical regions.
Thushara Yatigammana, General Manager- Industrial Solutions Division, CIC Holdings, said, “Stevia in its pure form is non-caloric and doesn’t affect glucose levels, an advantage for patients suffering from diabetics and hypoglaecemia. Unlike artificial sweeteners, high quality stevia has little aftertaste when measured properly. It has no known side effects like some chemical sweeteners and has been safely consumed around the world for decades. Food and beverages containing stevia can also play an important role in decreasing calories from unwanted sweeteners in children’s diets.”
Nuwan Abayagunasekera, Business Development Manager – Industrial Solutions Division, CIC Holdings, noted, “Food scientists continuously try to explore new ways of using stevia-based sweeteners. Proposed uses for high-purity stevia leaf extracts include soft drinks, canned fruit and jams, ice cream and other dairy products, cakes and desserts, as well as alcoholic beverages”.