Our ethanol and non-sugar sweeteners were recently featured by Food & Beverage Industry News.
Read an excerpt below, or the full article here.
Sugar and alcohol are two key ingredients for many beverages produced in Australia, and ingredient specialist Wilmar Sugar Australia (Wilmar) is one of the major players in the market.
While sugar is a staple of the company’s products, it also has on hand a range of non-sugar sweeteners that are becoming more popular as sectors of the market look to create beverages and food for those who want to decrease their sugar intake.
Wilmar’s range includes monk fruit, stevia and erythritol, which are all used in a variety of products. It has also taken the step to make some of them Australian Certified Organic (ACO), said the company’s product manager for specialty ingredients, Anne Price.
The certification is thorough and covers such aspects as the growing and manufacturing/processing of the product.
“The organic process covers the growing of the crop, whether it be the corn for the erythritol, or the stevia or monk fruit plant,” said Price. “There are two aspects to the organic side of things. The first is the certificate that covers the growing of the raw material. Then there is the certificate that covers the manufacturing of the product, which also covers the processing.
“When we get the product to Australia we get it certified with the ACO, who do an overall benchtop audit of the process including the supply chain we use to get it here. Then, they certify it,” she said.
Price has noticed the increase in interest in non-sugar sweeteners, mainly from the beverage side of industry, especially in specialty drinks like Kombucha, which is aimed at the health market. And while sugar alternatives are on the upswing, Wilmar at its heart is a sugar-manufacturing company. Price sees the benefits of both products.
