The Coca-Cola Co. plans to use a new calorie-free sweetener in some of its products in other countries and is hoping at some point to get FDA approval to use it in its products in the United States.
The push to develop the natural sweetener, which is being called rebiana, is a partnership between Atlanta-based Coca-Cola and privately held Wayzata, Minn.-based agribusiness Cargill Inc.
Coca-Cola will market and use the sweetener in unspecified products. Cargill will use farmers it contracts with to grow the plant from which rebiana will be extracted, and the company also will refine it. It may also use the sweetener in some of its food products.
Neither company would say Thursday how much money is being spent on the initiative, or how the costs will be shared. A Cargill spokeswoman, Ann Tucker, called it a “significant investment.”
Coca-Cola has filed 24 patent applications related to utilizing, formulating and processing high potency sweeteners, including rebiana.
Rebiana is made from the leaves of the stevia plant, a South American herb that has been used as a sweetener in other countries. The leaves of the small, green plant are said to have a refreshing taste that can be much sweeter than sugar.
The herb isn’t approved in the U.S. for use in food and beverages, but is approved in 12 other countries, including Brazil, Japan and China, Coca-Cola spokeswoman Kari Bjorhus said.
Cargill is working on clinical trials of the sweetener to use to petition the FDA for permission to use rebiana as a food additive in the U.S., Bjorhus said.
Bjorhus declined to say what Coca-Cola products rebiana would be used in. She said taste tests show the sweetener tastes similar to some other sweeteners the company uses.
Cargill deals in food, agricultural and risk management products. It is one of the world’s largest privately held companies. Coca-Cola is the world’s largest beverage maker.
Coca-Cola already uses a variety of sweeteners in its products, including sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and artificial diet sweeteners like aspartame. Bjorhus said rebiana is a compelling addition because it is a natural sweetener.
