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What’s Wrong with Stevia and Monk Fruit

Monk Fruit and Stevia
July 12, 2021

The typical natural sweetening system consists of stevia + monk fruit. The combination tastes great, but…

  • It’s expensive
  • The supply is tight
  • Sustainability is questionable

Now there’s a better alternative that will make the stevia-monk fruit combination obsolete.
Monk fruit’s cost-in-use is one the highest of any sweetener in the world. The cost per kilo is in the $300+ range while only 50-100x sweeter than sugar. Using 600mg per serving isn’t unusual, so a $0.20 per serving sweetening system, or $6 per 30-serving unit, isn’t out of the question. You’d better love monk fruit to stick with $6 per unit.
Because stevia has had recent questions about a potentially negative impact on the gut microbiota [1], some doubled down on monk fruit. As noted above, that tactic is incredibly expensive. A better stevia-monk combination could be Reb M from stevia, plus monk fruit. It will taste great, but you still have cost issues because Reb M from stevia is expensive. On top of that, Reb M exists in extremely low concentrations in the stevia plant. So, you have to mow down a football field of stevia leaves to get a kilo of Reb M. That doesn’t exactly bode well for consumers’ ever-growing demand for sustainability.
So what is a better natural sweetener than stevia and/or monk fruit?

ANSWER: a blend with Reb M made from fermented sources (as OnoSweet™).

OnoSweet™ is…

  • 250x sweeter than sugar
  • <35% of the cost-in-use of monk fruit
  • More sustainable than stevia or monk fruit
  • Cleanest and best-tasting natural sweetener in the world
  • Zero glycemic index
  • Not a bioengineered food & does not contain genetic material.

The words “steviol glycosides” sound like “stevia,” so it’s easy to understand why many don’t realize Reb M is also contained in other sources.  OnoSweet™ is 250x sweeter than sugar with wide application from gummies and powders to RTDs and functional foods. The taste is clean throughout, and the sweetness never peaks.  Reb M OnoSweet™ is the best-tasting natural sweetener in the world.

OnoSweet™ is a blend that uses fermentation which is a mega-trend in the health and wellness space [2]. Sugarcane can grow continuously throughout the year and yield multiple harvests. It is re-planted only every two to four years. So, there is lesser need for crop rotation, and there is no need for fertilizers. Without chemicals, pesticides or soil degradation, OnoSweet™ is far more sustainable than stevia. In fact, to produce 1 kilo of OnoSweet, you only need 10% of the water and land that would be required to produce 1 kilo of stevia.

Stevia and Monk FruitTAKEAWAYS and NOTES:

  • Patented Reb M OnoSweet™ is a superior alternative to the stevia-monk fruit combination.
  • Because OnoSweet’s™ cost of production is lower than stevia or monk fruit, the stevia-monk fruit combination will become obsolete.
  • If formulators prefer, OnoSweet™ can still be combined with a touch of monk fruit, erythritol, or even some allulose for an optimized sweetening system.
  • Applications include: gummies, powders, RTDs, gels, and functional foods.
OnoSweet™ powder

Real OnoSweet™ powder: light, soluble, delightful.

 

 

Ready to try it? Contact us here for a sample.

Learn more about how to nail your supplement’s flavoring system.

 

 

 

 

References:
[1] BGU Researchers and Colleagues Caution Stevia May Inhibit Gut Microbiome Communication
[2] Askew, Katy, There is a mega-trend around fermentation: The rising star of fermented foods, Foodnavigator

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