One of the largest producers of monk fruit (luo han guo) has received official notification from the FDA of its GRAS status for its branded monk fruit concentrate.

BioVittoria’s Fruit-Sweetness™ monk fruit concentrate has been approved as GRAS (GRN No. 301) as a sweetener and flavor enhancer. Fruit-Sweetness is the first (and to date, the only) all-natural, zero-calorie, fruit concentrate sweetener to have this status, according to the company. The unique, zero-calorie sweetness of monk fruit concentrate comes from naturally-occurring compounds in the fruit that are up to 300 times sweeter than sugar. Just 0.25g of Fruit-Sweetness can replace 8tsp of sugar, according to Chicago-based vice president of sales and marketing, Paul Paslaski. He also says the fruit source is a unique point of difference that consumers will value.

The company says consumers do not want compromises, and existing natural sweeteners are struggling to deliver the “complete package” of reduced sugar, with great taste. Sensory profiling, conducted by BioVittoria, shows Fruit-Sweetness possesses a clean taste profile, without the off-notes sometimes found in some natural sweeteners. The testing also showed cost and taste benefits for blending the product with other natural sweeteners, such as Rebaudioside-A.  pf

For more information:
BioVittoria • Chicago • Paul Paslaski • 847-226-3467
paul_paslaski@biovittoria.com • www.fruitsweetness.com