E960 - Steviol glycosides

At a glance

Steviol glycosides help foods taste sweet without adding sugar.

• Function: sweetener, very high sweetness so only tiny amounts are used
• Origin: extracted and purified from stevia leaves; some forms are made by enzyme steps starting from leaf extracts
• Common in: diet drinks, tabletop sweeteners, yogurts, flavored dairy, confections, sauces
• Regulatory status: evaluated by major regulators; an acceptable daily intake (ADI) is set to guide safe use
• Also listed as: E960, stevia leaf extract, stevia rebaudiana extract, Reb A (rebaudioside A)

Why is Steviol glycosides added to food?

It is used to deliver sweetness without the calories of sugar. Steviol glycosides are many times sweeter than table sugar, so only very small amounts are needed to match sweetness in beverages and foods, which helps cut added sugars and calories.¹

What foods contain Steviol glycosides?

You can find E960 in many sugar‑reduced or “no added sugar” products. Labels may list “steviol glycosides,” “stevia leaf extract,” “Reb A,” or “E 960” (in regions that use E‑numbers).

• Soft drinks, flavored waters, energy drinks
• Tabletop sweeteners (powders, packets, drops)
• Flavored yogurts and dairy desserts
• Sugar‑free or reduced‑sugar candies and chewing gum
• Breakfast cereals and bars
• Jams, sauces, and dressings

What can replace Steviol glycosides?

Food makers often blend or swap sweeteners to get the taste and performance they want.

• Other high‑intensity sweeteners: sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame K, saccharin and its salts, advantame
• Polyols (sugar alcohols) for bulk and mild sweetness: erythritol, sorbitol
• Blends: stevia is often paired with acesulfame K or sucralose to smooth taste, or with erythritol to add body

How is Steviol glycosides made?

All versions start with the stevia plant, but the finishing steps can differ.

• From stevia leaves: The leaves are extracted with water or food‑grade solvents, then the sweet molecules (such as stevioside and rebaudiosides) are captured on resins, purified by ion‑exchange and filtration, and crystallized to high purity.²
• Enzymatically produced variants: Some products (such as E960c) begin with purified leaf steviol glycosides and use food‑grade enzymes to add sugar units, improving sweetness quality and reducing bitterness, followed by purification to food‑grade specifications.³

Related entries you may see on labels:

• E960a — steviol glycosides from stevia
• E960c — enzymatically produced steviol glycosides
• E960d — glucosylated steviol glycosides

Is Steviol glycosides safe to eat?

Major authorities have evaluated steviol glycosides. In the European Union, the scientific panel of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) set an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 4 mg per kg body weight per day, expressed as steviol equivalents.² In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recognizes high‑purity steviol glycosides as “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) for use in foods; however, whole stevia leaves and crude extracts are not approved as sweeteners.¹

How the body handles it is well understood: steviol glycosides are not absorbed intact; gut bacteria break them down to steviol, which is then converted to steviol glucuronide in the liver and excreted in urine.²

Does Steviol glycosides have any benefits?

Steviol glycosides provide intense sweetness without adding calories, which helps reduce added sugars in foods and drinks.¹ Because much less sweetener is needed compared with sugar, they can support sugar‑reduction goals while keeping a sweet taste profile.¹

Who should avoid Steviol glycosides?

Most people can consume steviol glycosides within the ADI as part of a balanced diet. If your clinician has advised limiting low‑ or no‑calorie sweeteners, follow that guidance. In the U.S., avoid using whole stevia leaves or crude stevia extracts as sweeteners; choose only high‑purity steviol glycoside products.¹

Myths & facts

Clearing up a few common questions helps put this ingredient in context.

• Myth: “Stevia leaf and crude extracts are approved sweeteners in the U.S.” Fact: Only high‑purity steviol glycosides are GRAS; whole leaves and crude extracts are not approved as sweeteners.¹
• Myth: “Steviol glycosides are artificial.” Fact: They are purified sweet molecules obtained from the stevia plant; some versions are further refined by enzyme steps starting from plant extracts.¹³
• Myth: “They pass through the body unchanged.” Fact: They are broken down by gut bacteria to steviol, then converted to steviol glucuronide and excreted.²
• Myth: “There’s no safe limit.” Fact: EFSA and other bodies set an ADI of 4 mg/kg body weight per day (as steviol equivalents) to guide safe intake over a lifetime.²

Steviol glycosides in branded foods

You’ll often see stevia‑based tabletop sweeteners (for example, “stevia in the raw”–type packets or drops) and numerous store brands. Many diet or “zero sugar” sodas, flavored waters, sports drinks, yogurts, and cereals also list stevia leaf extract or steviol glycosides on the ingredient label. Availability and formulations change, so always check the package.

References

Footnotes

1. Additional Information about High-Intensity Sweeteners Permitted for Use in Food in the United States — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/additional-information-about-high-intensity-sweeteners-permitted-use-food-united-states ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

2. Scientific Opinion on the safety of steviol glycosides for the proposed uses as a food additive — European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/1537 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

3. Safety of the proposed amendment of the specifications for steviol glycosides (E 960) produced by enzymatic bioconversion — European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/6519 ↩ ↩²