Layn Natural Ingredients has received FEMA GRAS Approval (No. 5106) for its branded ingredient: SteviUp M2.
According to InsightAce Analytic, the global plant-based sweeteners market is projected to reach $4.75bn by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 6.68% from 2024 to 2031.
As consumer demand continues to grow for natural sweetening systems such as stevia and monk fruit, formulators continue to face challenges related to taste profile, lingering sweetness and mouthfeel in reduced-sugar applications.
Layn Natural Ingredients launched SteviUp M2 in 2025 to help formulators address long-standing challenges associated with traditional stevia sweeteners, including bitterness and solubility limitations, while maintaining non-GMO and clean-label standards.
“Layn Natural Ingredients has spent more than two decades advancing stevia ingredient development to help formulators create better-tasting reduced-sugar products,” said Frank Xie, President & CEO of Layn Natural Ingredients.
“Receiving FEMA GRAS approval for SteviUp M2 further validates our long-term investment in stevia innovation and reinforces our commitment to delivering high-quality, science-backed solutions to the global food and beverage industry.”
Derived from high-purity steviol glycosides extracted from Stevia rebaudiana leaves and produced through a controlled, non-GMO, enzyme-based bioconversion process, SteviUp M2 delivers approximately 200 times the sweetness of sucrose.
The ingredient offers excellent solubility, minimal bitterness or liquorice notes, and strong versatility across beverage, dairy, confectionery, bakery, sauce and functional nutrition applications.
Layn Natural Ingredients has also conducted extensive formulation testing using SteviUp M2 in combination with its monk fruit sweeteners, demonstrating strong sweetening synergy and well-balanced flavour performance across a broad range of reduced-sugar applications.
“The FEMA GRAS evaluation is a rigorous, science-based review that helps ensure ingredients meet the safety expectations required for flavour use,” said Leo Lin, R&D Manager at Layn Natural Ingredients.
“Achieving FEMA GRAS status for SteviUp M2 not only underscores the strength of the scientific data supporting the ingredient but also provides formulators with additional assurance when using SteviUp M2 in flavour systems and sugar-reduction applications where taste profile is critical.”
In addition to FEMA GRAS recognition, SteviUp M2 received FDA GRAS status (GRAS Notice No. GRN 001203) in February 2025, supporting its use across multiple food and beverage categories, including beverages, dairy products, confections, baked goods, sauces and functional nutrition products.
The FDA evaluation also confirmed that SteviUp M2 meets established safety and purity standards for commercial food and beverage applications.