SGF develops fully organic stevia processing method

Standard stevia processing does not meet USDA National Organic Program (NOP) regulations, which is a problem for processors hoping to use stevia in certified organic products. Sweet Green Fields (SGF) has developed a new technology to overcome typical obstacles in processing organic stevia extracts.

“Full compliance comes, as most will know, with using certified organic stevia leaf, but not many will know that the production stages where the clarification of crude extracts occurs and the column chromatography need to be overhauled from existing practices,” said Dr Mel Jackson, SGF’s vice president science.

“This is because only organic chemical production and cleaning aids are permitted in the extraction process and must be on the USDA’s NOP national list of accepted processing aids. And finally, if ethanol is used, this also must be from a certified organic source.”

After several years of research, SGF has developed processes that overcome these challenges and specifically comply with the USDA NOP regulation. The company says its Organics product line does not differ in taste from its non-organic product lines.

SGF has also recently harvested its first commercial-scale certified organic stevia crop. The company says it has taken several years to develop the technology and protocols to conform to USDA NOP regulations and produce crops that will compete economically on a global scale.