Cargill Debuts Stevia-Based EverSweet

MINNEAPOLIS -- Cargill Inc. has developed a new zero-calorie sweetener made by fermenting certain components of the stevia plant.

EverSweet is made with Reb M and Reb D, which are found in the stevia leaf. Cargill describes it as "better sweetness intensity, faster sweetness onset and improved sweetness quality, without the bitterness or off-note aftertaste common with other stevia sweeteners."

Because the stevia plant produces only trace amounts of these molecules, Cargill said using Reb M and Reb D to produce a sweetener hasn't been commercially or environmentally viable until now, thanks to its proprietary fermentation process.

Cargill expects its next-generation sweetener to be commercially available in 2016.