Truvia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Truvia is a stevia-based sugar substitute developed jointly by The Coca-Cola Company and Cargill. It is distributed and marketed by Cargill as a tabletop sweetener and as a food ingredient.[1] Because it comes from the stevia plant, Cargill classifies it as a natural sweetener in addition to being a non-nutritive sweetener.[2] It is made of rebiana, erythritol, and natural flavors.[3] Since its launch in 2008, Truvia natural sweetener has become the second best-selling sugar substitute in the United States, surpassing both Merisant's Equal and Cumberland Packing Corporation's Sweet'n Low.[4] Nonetheless, the top-selling sugar substitute Splenda retains approximately 60% market share.[5] Truvia competes against PepsiCo's PureVia brand of stevia-extract sweetener.

Tabletop sweetener

Truvia tabletop sweetener is marketed to consumers as a packet sweetener for food and beverages. This makes it a direct competitor to existing packet sweeteners Splenda (sucralose), Equal (aspartame), Sweet'n Low (saccharin), and table sugar. It is available in the United States in 40-ct, 80-ct, 140-ct, and 300-ct single-serve packages. It is also available in the U.S. in a 9.8 oz "spoonable" container that is the equivalent of an 80-ct box.[6] One packet of Truvia natural sweetener is said to provide the same sweetness as two teaspoons of sugar.[7]

Ingredients

Ingredients are Erythritol (a sugar alcohol found naturally in small amounts in various fruits such as grapes and melons), Stevia Leaf Extract, and Natural Flavors. [8]

Processing

Erythritol is a naturally-occurring sweetener found in many fruits; in nature it is present in such small amounts (less than .005% by weight) it’s impractical to use natural sources. So Cargill manufacturers Truvia’s erythritol by processing corn into a food grade starch which it ferments to create glucose and then processes further to create erythritol.

Food ingredient

In addition to Truvia tabletop sweetener, it is used as a food ingredient. The Truvia web site lists products that use Truvia as a sweetener, including flavors of Vitamin Water, Sprite Green, All Sport Naturally Zero, Blue Sky Free, Crystal Light Pure, Zevia soda, and some varieties of Odwalla juices.[9]

Safety and health effects

Gastrointestinal Side Effects

The most common side effects of Truvia are gastrointestinal in nature.[citation needed] This is more so due to the sugar alcohol erythritol than the rebiana extract, Marissa Lippert says in her book "The Cheater's Diet." These compounds tend to have a laxative effect as they are not completely metabolized or absorbed by the digestive system. Common side effects include diarrhea, bloating, gas, constipation and hard stools, Lippert notes.[10]

Allergic Reactions

Like all foods, it is possible to experience an allergic reaction to ingredients present in Truvia. Since stevia is a herb, if you are sensitive to plants like ragweed, the rebiana in Truvia may trigger a reaction, Ruth Winter warns in her book "A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients." You may experience breathing difficulty, dizziness, flushing, swelling of the face, eyes or tongue, weakness, wheezing and cramping of the abdomen, which are all common symptoms of an allergic reaction, according to MedlinePlus. If these symptoms arise, you should seek emergency care immediately.[10]

In several clinical studies of Truvia, no difference in side effects were reported by groups consuming Truvia stevia leaf extract and groups taking a placebo.[11]

Controversy

Cargill, the manufacturers of Truvia have been legally challenged in a Honolulu court on July 23, 2013 for their use of the term natural. The suit charges that the product is not a natural product.[12]

Availablity in Europe

On July 4, 2011, the EU's Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health recommended the approval of high purity stevia extracts for use as a food ingredient throughout the EU.[13] Truvia is now available in major European supermarkets.

References

http://www.brucebradley.com/food/truvia-honestly-sweet-or-dishonestly-marketed/#sthash.UZxYVhqj.dpuf

  1. ↑ "Coke and Cargill's 'Truvia' sweetener debuts in NY". 2008-07-09. 
  2. ↑ Severson, Kim (2009-04-15). "Showdown at the Coffee Shop". The New York Times. 
  3. ↑ "About the ingredients in Truvia". truvia.com. Retrieved 2011-08-06. 
  4. ↑ "Truvia Brand Sweetener Moves Up to be #2 Sugar Substitute in US". foodingredientsfirst.com. Retrieved 2011-08-06. 
  5. ↑ "MediaPost Publications Cargill's Truvia Now #2 Sugar Substitute 05/04/2011". Mediapost.com. Retrieved 2012-03-24. 
  6. ↑ Truvia - Where To Buy - Find the Nearest Store
  7. ↑ "About Truvia Natural Sweetener". truvia.com. Retrieved 2012-08-17. 
  8. ↑ "About Truvia". Truvia.com. Retrieved 2013-08-04. 
  9. ↑ "Truvia® Natural Sweetener". Truvia.com. Retrieved 2011-08-06. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "The Side Effects Of Truvia". LiveStrong.com. 2011-03-26. 
  11. ↑ "The hemodynamic effects of rebaudioside A in healthy adults with normal and low-normal blood pressure". Food and Chemical Toxicology. 2008-04-28. 
  12. ↑ "Lawsuit questions natural claims of Truvia". Food Business News. 2013-07-23. 
  13. ↑ European regulatory status

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.