Howtian introduces a pure, unrefined golden stevia extract

Howtian’s latest innovation in natural sweeteners has been designed to meet the rising demand for minimally processed, plant-based products.

SoPure Dorado is an unrefined golden stevia extract, offering the least processed, plant-based, zero-calorie sweetener, the company says of its newest product was designed for modern food and beverage consumers who are increasingly seeking out products that are honest, simple, and as close to their natural state as possible.

In many parts of the world, a significant and growing percentage of the population identifies as “Natural Seekers.” A 2024 Innova Trends Survey revealed 67% of consumers chose to reduce their consumption of over-processed foods to lead a healthier lifestyle, claiming the #1 most important value to them in their diets is transparency.

Today’s Natural Seekers are not only seeking natural ingredients for the nutritional value, but increasingly rejecting industrialised food products in favour of those that are “clean and simple.”

Tom Fuzer, vice president of market strategy at Howtian, notes that many consumers believe stevia, despite being a natural sweetener, undergoes extensive processing that strips it of its natural benefits.

“With SoPure Dorado, we aim to change that narrative,” he adds. “Our innovative product retains its natural golden colour and delivers outstanding solubility, making it the ideal choice for products appealing to health-conscious consumers seeking minimally processed alternatives.”

Howtian says SoPure Dorado stands out as a natural sweetener because of its naturally high concentration of the most desired sweet molecules – the steviol glycoside compounds of the stevia leaves. This allows for a reduction in the extraction process to just one simple step using pure water, maintaining the integrity and naturalness of the sweetener.

“In fact, SoPure Dorado was successfully tested with food and beverage manufacturing customers around the world. We saw not only strong interest in the product’s unique benefits in the market, but also received loads of valuable feedback about the range of opportunities our partners see with it,” Fuzer notes.

According to Howtian, the key benefits of SoPure Dorado include:

• Outstanding solubility
• Minimally processed
• Naturally retained, golden colour
• Non-GMO
• Zero calorie
• Clean label

Howtian believes SoPure Dorado opens up new opportunities particularly in the sugar and sweetener sector where other stevia products might face challenges. The product is especially suitable for tabletop sweeteners, liquid sweeteners, low glycemic index sugar blends, sweetener portion packs, syrups, and sauces.

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