CIC introduces Stevia by PureCircle

13 August 2015 10:48 am Views - 5770

Nuwan Abayagunasekera, Business Development Manager - Industrial Solutions Division, CIC Holdings and Thushara Yatigammana, General Manager - Industrial Solutions Division, CIC Holdings

 
CIC introduces Stevia by PureCircle 
CIC’s Industrial Solutions Division is the sole agent for Stevia by PureCircle in Sri Lanka  


Thursday 13th August, 2015, Colombo: CIC’s Industrial Solutions Division is proud to be the sole agent for Stevia provided by PureCircle, a major provider of natural sweeteners to the global food and beverage industry. Stevia is a naturally sourced, zero-calorie sweetener that has been used as a natural sugar substitute and flavouring ingredient for hundreds of years. CIC supplies this natural sweetener for industrial use to food and beverage manufacturers across the country.  

The stevia plant is native to South America and was first consumed there over 200 years ago when the indigenous people used the leaves of the plant to sweeten beverages or chewed them for their sweet taste. The plant leaves, often called “sweet herb,” were dried and used to sweeten teas and medicines or were simply chewed on as a sweet treat. Stevia plants grow and are harvested in many countries around the world, predominantly in China and Brazil. The plants grow 2-4 feet in height with slim, branched stems, and thrive in temperate and some tropical regions. Stevia is grown by natural, conventional plant breeding methods such as cross-pollination and other non-genetically modified processes. As stevia is intensely sweet and an extract, it typically requires much less water to provide the same amount of sweetness as other mainstream sweeteners. High-purity stevia extracts contain 95% or more steviol glycoside content. Many food and beverage products currently use stevia as an ingredient throughout the world, including table top sweeteners for baking as well as other everyday products.

Research has shown that stevia sweeteners do not contribute calories or carbohydrates to the diet and do not affect blood glucose or insulin response, which allows people with diabetes to consume a wider variety of foods and comply with a healthy meal plan. The causes of obesity around the globe are quite complex and include factors such as an increase in physical inactivity due to increased sedentary time and increased intake of energy-dense foods that are high in fat and added sugars. Plant-based, zero calorie stevia can be part of a well-balanced diet to help reduce energy intake without sacrificing taste. Replacing just 25g (about six teaspoons) of nutritive sweeteners in foods and beverages can provide a 100-kilocalorie reduction.

Certain glycosides in stevia extract have been found to dilate blood vessels, increase sodium excretion, and urine output. The Stevia plant has many sterols and antioxidant compounds and studies have found that some compounds found in Stevia can reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer significantly. 

Commenting on the role that CIC plays in distributing Stevia, Thushara Yatigammana, General Manager– Industrial Solutions Division, CIC Holdings stated, “The Stevia ingredient by PureCircle which we supply to local industries and markets, provides the public with numerous health benefits.  Stevia in its pure form is non-caloric and doesn’t affect glucose levels, an advantage for patients suffering from diabetics and hypoglaecemia. Unlike artificial sweeteners, high quality stevia has little aftertaste when measured properly. It has no known side effects like some chemical sweeteners and has been safely consumed around the world for decades. Food and beverages containing stevia can also play an important role in decreasing calories from unwanted sweeteners in children's diets.”  

Nuwan Abayagunasekera, Business Development Manager – Industrial Solutions Division, CIC Holdings, said “Food scientists continuously try to explore new ways of using stevia-based sweeteners. Proposed uses for high-purity stevia leaf extracts include soft drinks, canned fruit and jams, ice cream and other dairy products, cakes and desserts, as well as alcoholic beverages.”

CIC, a household name in health and nutrition is proud to introduce this healthy alternative to sugar by way of Stevia. CIC’s Industrial Solutions Division creates and markets superior quality products, with a strong focus on expert knowledge-sharing, research and development. CIC has had long standing relationships with companies across a spectrum of industries, and prides itself on its ethical business practices, its guarantee of quality and the dedication and expertise of its staff.

CIC continuously impacts people through its extensive business portfolio which extends into the areas of agriculture, animal feed, nutrition, healthcare, industrial materials and consumer products.