Specification, formulation and compliance insights for botanical ingredients, natural sweeteners and functional plant extracts.
Stevia, monk fruit and erythritol are almost always presented as three competing answers to the same question. In a real beverage formulation they are not competitors at all.
Buyers looking for organic stevia usually get stuck in the same place. They search the USDA National List, find no entry for stevia or steviol glycosides, and conclude the ingredient cannot be used in a certified organic product.
Choosing a stevia ingredient is not simply a matter of matching “beverage” with Rebaudioside M or selecting the highest assay on a supplier’s specification sheet. Commercial stevia extract grades differ in glycoside composition, purity, production route, sensory profile and processing behavior, while the finished food determines how important each difference becomes.
Almost every comparison of these two ingredients answers the question "which one tastes cleaner." That question has an answer in the published literature, and it is not the answer the market repeats. It is also not the question that decides most projects.
A development team switches from Reb A to Reb D or Reb M to get rid of the bitterness. The water screening tastes clean.
Stevia vs Erythritol is often presented as a choice between two sugar alternatives, but in commercial formulation they usually perform different jobs. Stevia restores sweetness at very low use levels, while erythritol restores part of the bulk and solids that disappear when sugar is removed.
Stevia aftertaste is not one problem. Depending on the grade, the dose and the product it sits in, what your panel is calling an aftertaste may be bitterness, sweetness that outstays sucrose by several seconds, a licorice or herbal side note, a metallic edge, or the hollow mouthfeel left behind when sugar solids were removed and nothing replaced them.
Browse our core ingredient categories and find the right material for your next formulation.
Stevia, monk fruit and naturally derived sweetening ingredients.
Standardized botanical extracts for supplements, food and formulation.
Fruit and vegetable extracts, powders and concentrated plant ingredients.
Functional mushroom extracts with defined polysaccharide and active specifications.
Specialty plant ingredients selected for specific formulation functions.
Browse the complete PhytoVale botanical ingredient portfolio.
