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PureCircle (LON:PURE) has launched a new range of ingredients based derived from the natural sweetener stevia.
Called the Zeta Family, they close the taste gap for low to no calorie applications and are made with steviol glycosides with the most sugar-like taste, including Reb M and Reb D, the company said.
"Consumers have consistently been asking for naturally sweetened low to zero calorie products and the Zeta Family is the first stevia ingredients to meet these needs," said Jordi Ferre, PureCircle's chief operating officer.
"This launch is an important milestone for the stevia industry and a testament to our PureCircle stevia agronomy programme.
“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.
“We are proud to advance our commitment to supporting thousands of stevia farmers and be the only company to offer these innovative ingredients to our customers."
The shares rose 3.05p to 398.8p, valuing the business at £248mln.