The Oregon-based firm is in the process of gaining third party verification of the non-GMO status of Erysweet, which is produced from a yeast strain grown in France in fermentation tanks that don't use feedstocks from GE ingredients.
Tooth friendly, zero calorie (0.2cals/g), good for diabetics (it doesn’t raise blood sugar), and well-tolerated in the gut, erythritol is about 60-70% as sweet as sugar.
It also blends well with high intensity sweeteners such as stevia and monk fruit and is used in everything from ice cream and confectionery, to baked goods, beverages, and table-top sweeteners.
However, some manufacturers seeking to make 'non-GMO' or 'all-natural' claims have been scrutinizing their erythritol suppliers carefully in recent months because companies producing the sweetener often use a fermentation process, in which a sugar-rich substrate is fermented by a yeast strain to yield erythritol.
And while the yeast strain itself is not genetically engineered, the feedstock used in the fermentation process is likely derived from genetically engineered corn if the erythritol is made in the USA, said Steviva Ingredients president Thom King, who went to Europe to source his product.
Click HERE to read more about Steviva Ingredients, which sells a wide variety of stevia ingredients and also has a line of branded consumer products sold primarily through the natural channel/
Click HERE to read about a settlement agreed by Cargill to resolve a class action lawsuit alleging Truvia consumer products are not natural owing in part to the erythritol production process.
Click HERE and HERE and HERE to read more about new ways of producing erythritol.