Allervibe
E960
Steviol glycosides
Plant-derived sweeteners extracted from stevia leaves, about 200 to 350 times sweeter than sugar.
i Additive Details
| Is E960 Steviol glycosides safe?
EFSA and JECFA consider steviol glycosides safe within the ADI, and no allergy risk has been established for the purified extract, which contains essentially no leaf protein. At higher concentrations they leave a lingering bitter, liquorice-like aftertaste, and that taste is the practical limit on how much manufacturers use. As with other sweeteners, they are not permitted in foods intended for infants and young children.
| Uses
Sweetens soft drinks, flavoured water, yogurt, tabletop sweeteners, confectionery and 'no added sugar' products, normally alongside erythritol or another bulking agent that replaces the volume sugar would have provided. They are stable to heat and acid and do not ferment, so they work in baking and in long-life drinks. The main compounds are stevioside and rebaudioside A.
| Interactions
Usually blended with erythritol, sugar or other sweeteners to mask the aftertaste and supply bulk. Steviol glycosides pass through the small intestine unabsorbed; bacteria in the colon strip off the sugar units to release steviol, which is absorbed, converted to steviol glucuronide in the liver and excreted in the urine. Nothing accumulates in the body.
| Origin
Extracted from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni with hot water, then purified and crystallised. Some newer sweeteners in the same family, such as rebaudioside M, are made by enzymatic conversion or fermentation rather than leaf extraction and carry their own E numbers.
| Daily Intake
The ADI is 4 mg per kg of body weight per day, expressed as steviol equivalents, agreed by both EFSA and JECFA. Because the limit is expressed as steviol rather than as the glycoside, the weight of actual sweetener this allows is roughly two and a half to three times higher, depending on which glycoside is used.
Information is sourced from public regulatory bodies (EFSA, FDA, WHO) and is for reference only. Always read the package and consult a healthcare professional for medical advice.
Related additives
- E950 Acesulfame K A calorie-free artificial sweetener about 200 times sweeter than sugar.
- E952 Cyclamates A synthetic sweetener 30 to 50 times sweeter than sugar, authorised in the EU but not in the United States.
- E954 Saccharin The oldest artificial sweetener, roughly 300 to 500 times sweeter than sugar.
- E965 Maltitol A sugar alcohol used as a bulk sweetener, almost as sweet as sugar.
- E967 Xylitol A sugar alcohol as sweet as sugar, best known from dental chewing gum and mints.
- E968 Erythritol A sugar alcohol with virtually no calories, about 60 to 70 per cent as sweet as sugar.
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