| SoBe
Lifewater and PureVia: Pepsi's response to Truvia |
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With
its new range of SoBe
Lifewater beverages, Pepsi has officially responded to
Coca Cola's Truvia
based zero calorie soft drinks. Similarly, they have had to come up
with a home-made version of Rebaudioside
A that allows for patenting, and slapped a pretty name on it:
PureVia.
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As
you know by now, natural sweeteners themselves cannot be patented,
so
the stevia extract is blended with erythritol, just like in Truvia.
This means the product can cause gastro-intestinal discomfort in those
who are sensitive to sugar
alcohols.
Looks
like Reb A is gradually winning the battle
with its older brother stevioside,
which as experience has taught us, may leave somewhat of a bitter
aftertaste that not everyone is fond of. My guess is that most of the
stevia-based products to come out in the future, will contain Reb A.
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The
next generation of SoBe Lifewater is presented in a snazzy
twirly bottle and currently comes in an astonishing array of no less
than 14 different flavors.
You can vote for upcoming tastes on the
website which creates the fun illusion that the customers have a say
about which products appear on the market. But it remains to be seen
how many of these flavors will stand the test of time.
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 If we take a closer look at
the ingredients, we notice a lot
of additives, all of which the company claims are 100% natural, but are
modified food starch and xanthan gum really necessary to create a
satisfying flavor?
Like
most mass-produced products, please take all
the sales pitches about how the product is healthy for you, with a
grain of salt - or in this particular case, Reb A!
Anyway, it's
not all bad. There are of course much worse options out there for you
to pour into your digestive system. Admittedly, the varieties all taste
good. Despite the promising looks, they add little to none to the
wellness factor in your body, but maybe that's not what you were
looking for anyway.
Maybe
you were looking for a sweet tasting,
low-calorie beverage to drink in moderate amounts. Then there's
absolutely nothing
wrong with a bottle of SoBe
Lifewater
once in a while when strolling
down South Beach.
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