CQUniversity launches revolution in natural sweeteners | Rockhampton News | Local News in Rockhampton

CQUniversity Plant and Water Sciences Professor Kerry Walsh, PhD student Ria Reyes and Professor David Midmore examine the plan

CQUNIVERSITY and diabetics everywhere will savour the sweet taste of success this week with the university's natural sweetener receiving Federal Government approval to be an ingredient in foods and beverages in Australia.

After almost 10 years of research and development by CQUniversity's Plant and Water Science division in Rockhampton, steviol glycocides from the plant Stevia rebaudiana could soon end up in cans of soft drink across the nation.

Even more crucial is the fact that the sugar is considered safe for consumption by diabetics, a revelation that is garnering considerable interest from Australia's major food and beverage companies, including Sanitarium.

The Australian food authority, FSANZ, has approved the use of the natural sweetener and this will be gazetted in Canberra tomorrow.

Professor David Midmore and honorary fellow and research officer Andrew Rank have been working together to develop the plant's sweet potential.

"We see stevia becoming a significant tool, or ingredient, for community use in the fight against obesity and associated (Type 2 diabetes)," Professor Midmore said.

"I'm convinced the soft-drink industry will act upon this - anyone who wants to put out a drink without artificial sweetener will be interested.

"It is just great news."

Diabetes Australia Queensland dietician Nicky Peberdy, however, warned people not to think of the stevia glycocides as the "magic bullet" to avoid diabetes.

"It's about healthy eating. It's not just about avoiding sugar; it's about the whole of the diet," she said.

"Stevia is a non-nutritive sweetener like saccharin, which means they can use less of it but get the same sweetening power.

"I don't think an addition of a new sweetener on the market will provide the answer; it will lead to the creation of new low-kilojoule products, but it certainly isn't the answer."

The plant, which originated in Paraguay, has been used as an additive in tea throughout Asia since the late 1800s. Being up to 300 times sweeter than sugar cane, people simply dipped leaves into their cups of tea.

It is low calorie and its taste is described as between liquorice and treacle.

Prof Midmore said Sanitarium had already co-funded another research project at CQUniversity.

He said the processing of stevia was similar to sugar cane, but given the higher sweetening capability of the plant, only one or two processing factories would be needed in Australia and they would be quite small.

He said the idea was to grow and process the sweetener in Australia for export.

Mr Rank said tests showed stevia could be a treatment for diabetes, by lowering high blood pressure and stimulating the production of insulin.