A Malaysian producer of stevia ingredients, PureCircle has developed a new variety of sweetener called StarLeaf stevia from its proprietary stevia leaf.

The company claims that this new product is produced from a non-genetically modified organism (GMO) proprietary leaf variety, which contains 20 times more sugar-like steviol glycoside content in comparison to the standard stevia leaf varieties.

The new StarLeaf stevia is a plant-based, zero-calorie sweetener, which can be used by the beverage and food manufacturers in their products for additional sweetness. It will also help food and beverage manufacturers to reduce sugar levels in their final products without sacrificing taste.

PureCircle intends to produce the new variety on a commercial scale by planting them in thousands of hectares.

"This leaf is the result of our significant investment in agronomic research and we are delighted to plant for the commercial production of StarLeaf stevia extract."

Last year, PureCircle invested around $100m for its Stevia Agronomy Programme and this breakthrough product is the result of a long-term investment. The programme was developed to support the company's goal of becoming the world’s largest supplier of non-GMO stevia and meet the demands of the global food and beverage industry.

 PureCircle's agricultural operations vice-president James Foxton said: “This leaf is the result of our significant investment in agronomic research and we are delighted to plant for the commercial production of StarLeaf stevia extract.

“We work tirelessly with our customers to achieve deeper sugar reductions to maintain the great taste of their products. StarLeaf stevia will significantly support those efforts.”

“The steviol glycosides in StarLeaf stevia are the most sought because they taste so similar to sugar. We are proud to be the first in the industry to naturally increase the supply of these steviol glycosides in this way.”