18 Dec 2015 07:00
PURECIRCLE LIMITED
Reb M Approval Milestone Achieved In Europe
PureCircle (LSE: PURE), the world's leading producer and marketer of high purity stevia ingredients, today announces that rebaudioside M ("Reb M") has secured a significant regulatory approval milestone for use as an ingredient in European Food and Beverage.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has concluded that Reb M is safe and can be now used in the European Union as a sweetener.
In a new scientific opinion paper EFSA's Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources ("EFSA's panel") concluded that Reb M should be included as part of the steviol glycoside specification for stevia leaf extracts from the stevia plant. The opinion paper will be evaluated by European member states in January 2016 with final authorization later in the year. Once finalized, Reb M will join the 10 steviol glycosides already approved for use in Europe. European approval follows USA FDA GRAS approval for Reb M in December 2013 and will mean that Reb M is approved for use in the world's two largest sweetener markets.
EFSA's panel also concluded that provided the total amount of the 11 steviol glycosides in a composition is greater than 95 percent, specific composition was not of concern. This means the current requirement that 75 percent of the composition be stevioside and/or rebaudioside A will no longer be necessary.
"Through our PureCircle Stevia Agronomy Program, we have been scaling stevia leaf naturally and increasing the volume of sugar-like steviol glycosides, such as Reb M, with traditional breeding techniques," said PureCircle's Chief Operating Officer Jordi Ferre. "Through breakthrough advances in traditional stevia plant breeding, we are now growing stevia varieties that contain over 20 times the amount of rare steviol glycosides versus other leaf available on the market."
NOTES TO EDITORS PureCircle is the world's leading producer of high-purity stevia ingredients for the global food and beverage industry. Its mission is to encourage healthier diets around the world through the supply of natural ingredients to the global food and beverage industry. Its vision is to lead the global expansion of stevia as the next mass volume, natural-origin sweetener. PureCircle has offices around the world with the global headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Business was founded in 2002. PureCircle's shares are listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange and trade under the ticker symbol PURE. For more information, visit: www.purecircle.com.
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