Steviol glycosides from fermentation
A sustainable, land-free way to produce stevia sweeteners using modern fermentation.
- Category
- Sweeteners
- Vegan
- Yes
- Vegetarian
- Yes
What it is
Stevia-like sweeteners produced by genetically modified yeast rather than extracted from the stevia plant.
How it is used in food
Fermentation makes the best-tasting minor glycosides — rebaudioside M and rebaudioside D — available at scale. These make up well under 1% of the stevia leaf, so extracting them from plants is expensive and land-hungry, whereas an engineered yeast produces them directly in a tank. The result is a cleaner sweetness with markedly less of the liquorice-like bitterness that characterises leaf-derived rebaudioside A.
Commonly found in- Diet beverages
- Confectionery
Health and safety
The final product is identical to plant-extracted steviol glycosides and is considered safe.
EFSA's CEP Panel assessed fermentation-derived steviol glycosides and found no safety concern, confirming that the purified product is chemically identical to the plant-extracted material and is therefore covered by the existing group ADI of 4 mg per kg body weight per day as steviol equivalents. The assessment focused less on the molecule — already thoroughly studied — than on the production strain and the purity specification, checking for residual host DNA, protein and fermentation by-products.
Regulatory status
| Region | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Australia & New Zealand FSANZ |
Permitted | Permitted under the FSANZ Food Standards Code. |
| European Union EFSA / European Commission |
Permitted | Authorised for food use under EU regulations (Annex II). |
| United States FDA (Food and Drug Administration) |
Permitted | Authorised for food use by the FDA (often GRAS for standard additives). |
Identification on labels
- E-number
- E960b
Worth knowing
The workhorse organism is the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica, engineered with the plant's own biosynthetic enzymes so that it assembles the glycoside from sugar rather than the manufacturer having to harvest it. Production is decoupled from weather, acreage and harvest season entirely — the same shift in logic that moved insulin from pancreas extraction to fermentation.
Conclusion
A sustainable, land-free way to produce stevia sweeteners using modern fermentation.
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Open the appEntry last reviewed 2026-07-28.
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