Whole Earth Sweetener Company is dedicated to helping people achieve a healthier diet and lifestyle, naturally. Below are the most common questions asked by consumers and healthcare professionals when familiarizing themselves with the benefits and origins of PureVia™:
- 1. What is PureVia™?
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PureVia is a natural sweetener blend made with stevia plant extracts. Its main sweetening ingredient is steviol glycosides (with high Rebaudioside A content), which gives PureVia a crisp, clean taste, without the bitter aftertaste associated with many stevia products.
Use it to replace sugar to sweeten hot and cold drinks and sprinkle on cereal and fruit.
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- 2. What is stevia?
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Stevia, a member of the Chrysanthemum family, has been used as a natural sweetener in South America for hundreds of years. Today stevia is used to sweeten foods and beverages in countries throughout the world. Most stevia products, which contain a mixture of many parts of the stevia leaf, have been safely used as a dietary supplement for years. However, they have not been widely embraced due to the bitter taste associated with some of these components.
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- 3. What are the ingredients in PureVia™?
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The main sweetening ingredient in PureVia is steviol glycosides (with high Rebaudioside A). It is blended with erythritol (found in fruits such as grapes and melons), isomaltulose (found in honey and sugar cane juice), cellulose powder, and flavours to create a sweetener with a clean, crisp taste.
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- 4. What are Steviol Glycosides
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Steviol glycosides is a collective term for the extracts of the sweetest components of the stevia leaves. Rebaudioside A is one of the many steviol glycosides in the stevia leaves that provide sweetness. Rebaudioside A is approximately 200 to 300 times sweeter than sucrose and has a clean, sweet taste without the bitter after taste associated with other stevia extracts.
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- 5. What is erythritol?
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Erythritol is a sugar alcohol. It has been part of the human diet for thousands of years as it is present in fruits such as grapes and melons. Similar to making cheese from milk and wine from grapes, erythritol is made through a natural fermentation process.
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- 6. What is isomaltulose?
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Isomaltulose is a natural sugar found in small amounts in honey and in sugar cane juice. It has significantly lower blood glucose and insulin responses compared to common sugars such as glucose and sucrose. Isomaltulose is made through a natural fermentation process.
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- 7. What is cellulose powder?
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Cellulose powder is a natural white powder that is derived from fibrous plants. It helps give PureVia a flow and texture similar to sugar.
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- 8. Are steviol glycosides natural?
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Yes, steviol glycosides are natural components of the stevia plant. Nothing about steviol glycosides are chemically or structurally altered when they are extracted from the stevia plant. PureVia is not artificially processed and has no preservatives, and all of its ingredients are certified non-genetically modified (non-GMO).
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- 9. How does the body handle steviol glycosides?
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Steviol glycosides are broken down into steviol by bacteria in the large intestine. Most of the steviol is then excreted in the faeces. The remaining steviol is then absorbed and transported to the liver where it is attached to a carbohydrate (called a glucuronide) and ultimately excreted in the urine.
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- 10. What is the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of steviol glycosides? (How much can be safely consumed?)
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According to limits set by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee and FSANZ for steviol glycosides, the ADI for the steviol glycosides in PureVia is 4mg/kg bw/day (as steviol). Thus, a 70 Kilogram person could safely consume 32 sachets of PureVia™ sweetener daily.
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- 11. How does the sweetness of sugar compare to PureVia™?
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PureVia’s sweetness intensity is similar to that of sugar. PureVia is a reduced calorie alternative to sugar (With 90% less kilojoules than sugar)*
*One PureVia sachet (13.1 kJ) is equivalent in sweetness to two level teaspoons of sugar (140 kJ)
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- 12. Is Stevia approved by FSANZ?
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Yes. Steviol Glycosides were approved by Food Standards Australia New Zealand in October 2008
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- 13. How is PureVia different from its competitors?
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What’s unique about PureVia is it is made with steviol glycosides (with high Rebaudioside A) and it is not artificially processed, has no preservatives and all of its ingredients are certified non-genetically modified.
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- 14. Does research support the safe use of PureVia?
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Yes. An extensive library of more than 85 studies exist for sweet extracts of the stevia plant support the safe use of steviol glycosides in tabletop sweeteners and other products. Additionally, the other ingredients, which provide the bulk of PureVia, are also safe for this use.
Steviol glycosides have also been reviewed by other authoritative bodies, including the FAO/WHO’s Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ). Today, steviol glycosides are used to sweeten foods and beverages in many countries including Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Russia, Israel, Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela, Columbia, Brazil, Argentina and USA. More than 100 foods and beverages throughout the world include one or more of the steviosides.
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- 15. How can PureVia help with weight management?
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As a reduced calorie alternative to sugar, PureVia can replace sugar at a saving up to 64 kilojoules per teaspoon. Consuming beverages and foods with PureVia instead of sugar, along with regular physical activity and a healthy diet, may help people achieve their weight management goals.
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- 16. Is PureVia Kosher?
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PureVia has been certified kosher by the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations.
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- 17. Are there any known allergies to PureVia™?
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There are no known allergies to the ingredients in PureVia™.
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- 18. Is PureVia™ gluten free?
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PureVia™ is gluten free. It does not contain wheat, barley, rye or oats.
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- 19. In what forms is PureVia available?
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PureVia sweetener is available in traditional pillow sachets. Each serving (one pillow sachet) provides the sweetness equivalent to two teaspoons of sugar, yet contains only 13.1 kilojoules and just two grams of carbohydrate. Note: 2 teaspoons of sugar contains 140 kilojoules.
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- 20. Can you cook and bake with PureVia?
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PureVia is delicious in beverages and on cereal and fruit. A variety of recipes are currently in development.
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- 21. What is the shelf life of PureVia™?
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PureVia™ has a shelf life of two years.
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- 22. Where can I find more information about PureVia?
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For more information about PureVia, visit www.purevia.com.au.
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