Reb A, also known as Rebaudioside A or rebiana, has gained in popularity among US manufacturers since the FDA issued letters of no objection in December that the sweetener is GRAS (generally recognized as safe) at purity levels of 95 percent or above.
Reference standards for Reb A are authenticated pure chemicals that food and beverage manufacturers as well as producers can use to substantiate the quality of their ingredients. This helps to protect against low-quality and potentially adulterated ingredients, thereby helping to ensure food safety.
Cerilliant said that accurate preparation of reference standards can be challenging, due to the fact that Reb A compounds attract moisture from the atmosphere, but accuracy in preparation is critical for measuring purity. Therefore, Cerilliant supplies its reference standard Reb A ingredients in ampoule formats, “flame sealed under argon” for purity and long shelf life, which it calls ‘Snap-N-Shoot’ or ‘Snap-N-Spike’.
The company also provides a six-solution standard of commonly found Reb A impurities: Rebaudioside B, Rebaudioside D, Rubusoside, Stevioside, Steviol, and Steviolbioside, which it says “can be used to ensure impurities found in Reb-A ingredients are safe and not adulterants.”
Cerilliant CEO Sherri Pogue said: “Use of Cerilliant’s Reb A Impurity standard in connection with analysis of Reb A ingredients allows for absolute confirmation of the identity of these impurities which may be impacted by system, column, and method variances from lab to lab. In addition, companies focused on ensuring a consistent flavor profile may appreciate the ability to accurately quantitate Reb A impurities.”
Cerilliant partnered with stevia supplier PureCircle in March to provide analytical tools to ensure quality benchmarks are met in the production of its PureVia-brand Reb A.
A similar private agreement for producing stevia reference materials was reached in November between Cargill and ChromaDex, which also develops analytical standards for ingredients, to ensure quality and consistency of its Truvia Reb A sweetener.