EVOLUTION OF PureSweet®

PureSweet® was developed in 2001 as the result of three years of research, development and marketing of vegetable-based sugar substitute alternatives. Given the feedback from manufacturers and consumers alike during this period, it became blatantly obvious that the marketplace in general was crying out for more healthy, and therefore natural, ingredients and products in all food and beverages available through all retail and food outlets. This coupled with people's increasing awareness of healthy living and eating demanded that we find an alternative to the high calorie or artificial (chemical) sugar substitutes available in the marketplace.

We found that the only real natural alternative to sugar and the chemically based artificial sweeteners on the market was a natural vegetable extract called Stevia. The only problem with Stevia was that, while it is extremely sweet and 100% natural, in its format used in Australia and throughout the world, the only downside was an extremely bitter aftertaste. This we addressed by developing a proprietary formula which we put the Stevia through that all but eliminated the bitter aftertaste. PureSweet was born.

During the time we have been marketing PureSweet® we have purposely concentrated our efforts on the industrial or commercial sector. Our aim here has been to encourage manufacturers to trial and develop healthy or dietary products or ranges, whilst trying to raise the profile of the PureSweet® brand. This has been extremely successful with result that about 80% of Australia's food and beverage manufacturers have now received samples and specifications of our product and have trailed, or are looking for a suitable vehicle in which to include our natural sugar substitute.

Retail versions of PureSweet® in tablet, powder and liquid formats are currently being developed and will be available through most retail food outlets in the near future. Once this launch is commenced, the profile of the PureSweet® brand will be raised even further through concerted marketing and advertising campaigns.

What is Stevia?

Stevia is a naturally sweet herbal plant from the chrysanthemum family, closely related to chamomile???. Native to the northern regions of South America, it has a long history of safe usage dating back 1500 years, when the native Guarani Indians of Paraguay used it to sweeten drinks and as a herbal remedy for most ailments. The leaf of the Stevia plant is estimated to be 30

There is no other plant on earth like the Stevia plant. The leaves are a delicious and nutritious food, a fantastic no calorie sweetener, an incredible  external and internal medicine, and when gently extracted into a water-based concentrate, is wonderful for smoothing wrinkles, softening and beautifying the skin, and healing blemishes and sores.
The main constituent of Stevia is Stevioside, which is 300 times sweeter than sugar. While obviously being sweet, many users experience a bitter aftertaste when using pure Stevia as an additive. The bitter principles are actually found in the veins of the leaf, while the leafy material between the veins contains the sweet components. Great care must be taken during production of Stevia extract to avoid contaminating the sweet with the bitter, and to ensure a high quality extract is produced.

Stevia in its extract format is nutrient-rich, containing substantial amounts of protein, calcium, phosphorous and other important nutrients.

Historical Usage of Stevia

For centuries, the sweet Stevia plant has been used by the native Guarani Indians of Paraguay as a flavour enhancer, a herbal tea and medicinal purposes, like healing wounds. In Latin America and the Orient, folk applications for the Stevia plant are diverse, including aiding digestion, nourishing the liver, pancreas and spleen, stimulating alertness and also in skin care.

Only discovered by western society in 1899, commercialisation of Stevia did not increase rapidly until Japan banned artificial sweeteners during the 1960's. By 1980 Stevia was being used in hundreds of food products throughout the country. Today, about 40% of the sweetener market in Japan is Stevia-based.

This was an astonishing advance given that as recently as 1921 scientists were just getting round to naming Stevioside as the main constituent, and the molecule wasn't accurately described until 1931, when scientists reported it to be a white, crystalline, hygroscopic powder, approximately 300 times sweeter than cane sugar. By 1963, the complete chemical structures of the active molecules of Stevia were finally worked out. To jump from there to the status of a major food sweetener by the mid-70's was a truly astounding feat.

In recent years, Stevia has attracted much interest from health and weight conscious consumers, especially those suffering from hyperglycemia and blood sugar disorders. Some users have even reported that drinking Stevia tea helped to reduce their desire for tobacco and alcoholic beverages. Stevia can be found in many medicines and vitamins, as well as lozenges, mouthwashes and toothpaste - it is believed Stevia may help to prevent cavities.

Stevia and its variants have been increasingly refined over the last decade to where we now have much improved products, such as PureSweet®, to the point where it is now more compatible with a vast range of food, beverage and pharmaceutical products.

In summary, for over 30 years Stevia has been used commercially in Japan, Korea, China, Latin America and now Australia and the United States as a natural sugar substitute in a wide variety of food and beverage products, including processed fish and meat, pickled vegetables, soft drinks, fruit juices, yoghurts, soy products, desserts, baked goods, snacks, chocolates, confectionary, pastries, pasta, sauces and wines. It is also used a basic tabletop replacement for sugar and artificial sweeteners.
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PureSweet Is Safe

As PureSweet® is made from Stevia, there is documented evidence that the Stevia plant has a long history of safe usage. Stevia has been used since pre-Columbian times with no reports of toxicity or other side effects. Stevia has also withstood years of research that has proven it to be safe for human consumption.

PureSweet® is remarkably heat stable. It can be used in all forms of cooking - boiling, baking and frying - where temperatures may reach well in excess of 200°C. It is the perfect ingredient for the health conscious cook as it has no calories, no carbohydrates and no fat content.

Because the human body does not metabolise the sweet glycosides in PureSweet (they pass right through the normal elimination channels), the body retains no calories after its consumption.

The base ingredient of PureSweet®, Stevia, has received government approval in over 20 countries, with petitions pending in many more.

• In the Orient and Latin America, Stevia has been used for centuries for its sweet taste and purported medicinal properties.

• The Japanese Ministry of Health & Welfare and the Korean Ministry of Health approved Stevia for food applications and use as a tabletop sweetener more than 30 years ago.

• In China, Stevia is approved as a "food additive" by the National health Inspection Authority.

• In Australia, Stevia is listed under the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), 1999 and complies with ANZFA Food Code Standard A6, No 2, Item B, and is therefore classified as a "Natural Food Concentrate".

• In America, Stevia is approved for usage as "a dietary supplement" and in skin care products by the US Food & Drug Administration (USFDA), 1994.