June 13, 2022 — Over the past few years, HOWTIAN has been making significant investments towards our mission of making stevia more accessible to food & beverage manufacturers and ultimately to consumers of those products. Through agronomy research and innovations in production, we have worked to reduce the cost of stevia as close as possible to that of artificial sweeteners. As COVID-19 has impacted global supply chains and is now disrupting the supply and availability of stevia, our research and manufacturing investments in stevia are paying off.
Much of these efforts have been focused on breeding different stevia varieties with the highest yield levels of the most desired glycosides. Last year, HOWTIAN launched a special project to develop varieties with even greater yields of Rebaudioside A, the most popular glycoside.
Thanks to this work, we are excited to announce that the Reb A content of our new seedlings reaches as high as 78%. Our 3,000-mu200-hectare breeding base has been in full swing since the beginning of the year to realize the rapid cultivation of the highest yielding seedlings.
With the current supply shortage of Reb A stevia, all of this comes at an opportune time. HOWTIAN’s inventory of Reb A remains in abundant supply for our customers, and we are anticipating our new harvest at the end of this year will play a significant role in easing the market’s stevia supply challenges. For more information about our available stevia, please get in touch with one of our representatives.
June 8, 2022 — Earlier this year, the Chinese National Health Commission announced that Pyrroloquinoline Quinone (PQQ) was amongst a variety of “new foods” that had been reviewed and approved. The unique form of PQQ submitted by HOWTIAN is based on patented technology created by the company, making HOWTIAN the first and only manufacturer of PQQ to receive approval in the country. The government agency experts and authorities granted their approval after a review process in accordance to food safety laws and safety review measures for new food raw materials.
In the months since the approval, HOWTIAN PQQ has already gained significant momentum and is now actively sold as a food & beverage ingredient in the Chinese market.
What is Pyrroloquinoline Quinone (PQQ)?
PQQ is an indispensable nutrient for human growth, and is naturally present in a variety of foods such as milk, eggs, spinach and more. Studies have confirmed that PQQ can enhance mitochondrial function and has powerful anti-oxidant properties. To learn more about how this supplement works, read about the benefits and product applications of PQQ.
PureQQ®: About HOWTIAN PQQ
In its early days of production, PQQ raw materials were prohibitively expensive and limited to scientific research. Recognizing the potential of this nutrient for the consumer market, HOWTIAN partnered with top universities and research institutions on efforts around the innovation, production, publicity and promotion of PQQ. After more than ten years of such research, HOWTIAN successfully developed PureQQ® — the best PQQ crystal form available — and has obtained patent authorization in China, the United States, the European Union, Japan, Hong Kong, China and many other countries and regions. To inquire about PureQQ® and our PQQ ingredient solutions, please contact one of our representatives.
June 2, 2022 — VP of Market Strategy Tom Fuzer was recently invited as a guest contributor for New Food, where he explains in-depth the importance of traceability and safety in stevia supply chains, especially in the face of global supply disruptions.
With over 5 billion customers each year, stevia has become adopted into mainstream food and beverage products. But not all stevia is made equal, which is why knowing the quality, safety and sustainability of your stevia supply is paramount.
Alongside stringent quality control systems that meet and exceed international standards, the HOWTIAN team has implemented COVID-19 protocols to ensure safety. We also employ a precise traceability system to record and track each lot of our stevia product.
Thanks to the New Food team for the special opportunity to share our industry perspective! 🙏
April 12, 2022 — Food & Beverage Asia interviewed and profiled HOWTIAN in an in-depth feature discussing stevia’s adoption among consumers in recent years, the yet-untapped potential of Asian markets, and the next generation of stevia products. Tom Fuzer, VP of Market Strategy, shares insights on marketplace trends and innovation in the stevia industry.
“The stevia market has increased rapidly over the last decade or so, and the growth is projected to continue in the coming years,” he continued. “Industry experts forecast an annual growth rate of 8-9% in the next 6-7 years, so the outlook is very promising. With these dynamics, stevia is one of the fastest-growing sweeteners, way ahead of the others mentioned.”
This is so especially in Asia, where he identified Japan as one of the most mature stevia makets globally. The region is tapped as having the highest potential for growth for stevia. “There are still many untapped opportunities in this part of the world,” he said. “Despite providing more than 80% of the global production, stevia is still relatively unknown among Chinese consumers. The growth potential is also huge in India and SouthEast Asia.”
The HOWTIAN agricultural science centre and their R&D laboratories have developed new leaf variants with third and fourth generation minor glycosides for further applications. For stronger sugar reduction, he continued, these products and HOWTIAN’s signature blends deliver a sensorial experience.
Fuzer said: “Our R&D team is focused on innovating to make naturally extracted, high-quality stevia much more accessible for markets around the world… Our mission is to bring the best stevia solutions closer to people and change its current position as a high cost, niche, luxury sweetener. Our agricultural science team is continuously developing new leaf variants that provide excellent taste with even better yield.
Read the full article at Food & Beverage Asia here.
March 9, 2022 — Tom Fuzer, VP of Market Strategy at HOWTIAN, recently had a conversation with Jim Cornall at the Dairy Reporter. He discussed launching the new HOWTIAN brand, our farming programs that are leading the industry in sustainability, and the future of the stevia market.
GRAS Notification for SoPure™ Stevia Enzyme-Modified Steviol Glycosides
February 23, 2022 — HOWTIAN®, formerly known as Zhucheng Haotian Pharma Co., Ltd (ZCHT), has announced the reception of their 2nd FDA No Questions GRAS notice for another stevia sweetener product. GRAS Associates, a fully owned subsidiary of Nutrasource, successfully submitted the notice to the FDA on behalf of HOWTIAN, the world’s largest manufacturer of natural stevia extracts.
“We are excited to receive the Letter of No Objection from the FDA to our Enzyme Modified Steviol Glycosides (EMSG) GRAS notification. The response underscores the safety of HOWTIAN’s EMSG products, opening the opportunity to use them in a wide range of applications,” said Mavis Ran, Business Director at HOWTIAN. “HOWTIAN’s leaf-based product portfolio, which also includes our natural stevia extracts, minor glycosides, and specialized blends, offers more possibilities now to address the increasing consumer demand for low sugar or zero sugar food and beverage products using non-artificial sweeteners.”
Glycosoylated stevia products offer improved taste via enzyme-treated steviol glycosides that are extracted from the leaf. These can serve as sweeteners or flavor enhancers, mask unpleasant flavors and augment overall taste.
Amy Mozingo, Vice President of US Nutra Regulatory Sciences, Nutrasource/GRAS Associates shared, “GRAS Associates is pleased to have assisted adding another steviol glycoside preparation into the HOWTIAN portfolio permitted for import and use in the US marketplace with the successful GRAS conclusion and notification to FDA for their enzyme-modified steviol glycosides (GRN 999).”
About Enzyme Modified Steviol Glycosides Associated with this GRAS Notice
Enzyme modified steviol glycosides are produced when additional glucose moieties are bonded to the original steviol glycoside structure via α(1–>4) linkages.
With this GRAS Notice (GRN 999, Enzyme-modified steviol glycosides) – there are two preparations covered:
SoPure Stevia™ glucosylated steviol glycosides – GSG 80 (≥80% total steviol glycosides with ≥75% glucosylated steviol glycosides and ≤20% dextrin)
GSG 95 (≥95% total steviol glycosides with ≥75% glucosylated steviol glycosides and ≤5% dextrin)
About HOWTIAN
HOWTIAN® is a global leader in producing and supplying premium quality natural sweeteners, nutritional and functional ingredients, and a full-service solutions provider for the food & beverage, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and personal care industries. Creators of innovative ingredient brands including SoPure™ Stevia and PureQQ® Pyrroloquinoline Quinone. HOWTIAN (formerly known as ZCHT) is a privately owned enterprise that was incorporated in 1999. Over the last decades, HOWTIAN has grown into a global leader in naturally extracted stevia products, and one of the world’s top 7 ingredient businesses in sugar reduction. Alongside its flagship stevia business, HOWTIAN is a global leader in the production of inositol and baicalin root extracts, serving customers in over 80 countries.
