China OKs GLG Life Tech's Stevia Extraction Patent

VANCOUVER, British ColumbiaGLG Life Tech Corporation announced that the  State Intellectual Property Bureau of the People's Republic of China accepted its patent application for the separation methodologies of rebaudioside B, rebaudioside D and steviolbioside.

The stevia leaf contains 10 major steviol glycosides in varying levels. Currently, rebaudioside A (RA) and stevioside (STV) are the two main steviol glycosides extracted for use as sweeteners.

GLG's research and development team created technology to separate rebaudioside B, rebaudioside D and steviolbioside from the other steviol glycosides.

Kevin Li, Vice President of Technology, stated, "We are very pleased that our three patent applications have been accepted. The steviol glycosides within the stevia plant have similar molecular structures making it very difficult to isolate any one from the other completely.

Even though RA and STV are the two best tasting components among these steviol glycosides, a tiny amount of the other steviol glycosides can cause unwanted taste changes in application within food and beverages. With technology such as this, we are even further able to eliminate unwanted taste changes and keep the taste of our products consistent from batch to batch."