An all-natural process developed to remove the bitter metallic aftertaste from the plant-based sweetener stevia was announced by MycoTechnology Inc. at the SupplySide West convention in Las Vegas. The new process, MycoZyme™, uses a mushroom-based enzymatic method to yield a pleasant-tasting, zero-calorie sweetener. Unlike past stevia-based products, this sweetener has 250 to 300 times the sweetness of sugar with no metallic aftertaste.
Artificial sweeteners have been on a decline in recent years as health conscious consumers seek all natural products. While consumers demand natural, there has not been a natural sweetener that satisfies their taste requirements. MycoZyme processed stevia provides the first high-intensity, zero calorie, natural sweetener without an aftertaste. According to Alan Hahn, CEO and founder of MycoTechnology, "Previously, food companies and consumers have had to compromise flavor for calories. With MycoZyme processed stevia, you now don't have to make that compromise."
The MycoZyme process is all natural, non-GMO and chemical-free. It works by harnessing the natural enzymes found in gourmet mushrooms that break down the bitter compounds found in the stevia plant. Several of the largest food and beverage companies have confirmed that the MycoZyme process removes the aftertaste found in stevia. The process has broad applications beyond stevia and is capable of working on a wide variety of leafs, extracts and powders.
Stevia is a sugar substitute made from the leaves of the stevia rebaudiana plant. It has been used in Paraguay for more than 1,500 years and has been sold commercially since 1971. It was first used in Japan in food products and soft drinks, including Coco-Cola. It is now available worldwide and is recognized as a safe alternative to sugar.
MycoTechnology Inc. develops all-natural processes to remove taste defects and improve the profiles of foods and beverages. This is unique in the industry, as other companies mask taste defects instead of removing them, thus adding unnecessary calories or compounds. Common techniques utilize chemical processes or GMO solutions that tend to strip out flavors and nutrients, or add unwanted sugars, salt or fats to mask the defects. Instead, MycoTechnology trains gourmet strains of mushrooms to consume the bitter compounds, resulting in healthier, better-tasting foods and beverages that do not need masking agents.
MycoTechnology's other mushroom-based process, MycoSmooth, removes bitterness from denser foods such as coffee and chocolate. The improved foods contain no chemicals or artificial ingredients and have health benefits not found in the non-improved counterparts. Testing shows that the process imparts healthy components of the mushrooms into the target foods and rids the food of many toxins.
As a food technology company focused on providing its food-processing platform for agricultural products, MycoTechnology provides a flexible business model to meet all business needs. In the case of stevia, MycoTechnology will provide licensing opportunities or processing services. More information can be found at mycotechcorp.com.
