Difference between Stevia, Truvia and Purevia

Key Difference: Stevia is a perennial shrub bearing sweet tasting leaves. It is basically a South American plant which belongs to the Chrysanthemum family. Truvia is a stevia based tabletop sweetener and food ingredient by Coca Cola and Cargill. Purevia is a stevia based tabletop sweetener and food ingredient by PepsiCo and Merisant. The bulking agents and proportions of stevia are different in Truvia and Purevia, and thus create a different taste in both.

Stevia is a perennial shrub bearing sweet tasting leaves. Sweetener pills and powder are derived from the leaves of this plant. It is basically a South American plant which belongs to the Chrysanthemum family. The extracts from this plant are 200-300 times sweeter than sugar. However, they do not contain calories. Due to these characteristics, it is used as an alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners.

The leaves need to go through many processing steps to derive the sweetener out of this plant. In foods, it is used as a non-caloric sweetener and also as a flavor enhancer. It was initially available as a dietary supplement in the U.S. It 2008, it was allowed to be used as a food additive.

Truvia is a crystallized sweetener which resembles table sugar. The manufacturers distribute and market it as a tabletop sweetener and as a food ingredient. It was launched in 2008 and has gained a lot of popularity in the United States. It has been developed by Coca Cola and Cargill, whereas, Purevia is developed by PepsiCo and Merisant. The ingredients of Truvia are Erythritol (a sugar alcohol), Stevia Leaf Extract, and Natural Flavors. It is used both as a tabletop sweetener and also as a food ingredient.

The company also claims that Truvia does not contain any genertically modified ingredients. According to the product’s website “ studies show that consumption of Truvía® natural sweetener has no effect on the glycemic index and is well tolerated by type 2 diabetics. Truvía® Baking Blend contains 1 gram of sugar per½ teaspoon.”

Purevia is often seen as a competitor of Truvia, as it is also a stevia based sugar substitute. As Truvia, it is also marketed and distributed as a tabletop sweetener and a food ingredient. It contains dextrose, cellulose powder, natural flavors as well as the stevia extract rebaudioside A. Truvia contains more erythritol than PureVia.

Purevia and Truvia are very similar as both have same types of ingredients. The bulking agents and proportions of stevia are different in Truvia and Purevia, and thus create a different taste in both. Unlike Truvia, Purevia has a bit creamy flavor.

Comparison between Stevia, Truvia and Purevia:

	Stevia	Truvia	Purevia
Definition	Stevia is a perennial shrub bearing sweet tasting leaves	Truvia is a stevia based tabletop sweetener and food ingredient by Coca Cola and Cargill	Purevia is a stevia based tabletop sweetener and food ingredient by PepsiCo and Merisant
Ingredients	Natural Shrub	Erythritol (a sugar alcohol), Stevia Leaf Extract, and Natural Flavors	Dextrose, cellulose powder, natural flavors as well as the stevia extract rebaudioside A
Use	Best known as a source of natural sweeteners. It The leaves are also used to make medicines	Truvia is being used to sweeten a reduced-calorie version of Sprite, called Sprite Green, and several Odwalla juice drinks	PureVia is being incorporated into several drinks marketed by PepsiCo
Health hazards	Researches have conducted researches to determine the effect of chemicals in stevia on blood pressure and blood sugar levels. The research results have been mixed	Class action lawsuits against the manufacturers of TruVia by people who have suffered health issues like symptoms related to gastic distress, diarrhea, cramping, gas, etc.	As the components are similar to Truvia, similar types of health issues have been reported by some people.
Flavor	Leaves are sweet	Truvia is a little sweeter per packet (each packet contains more)	PureVia has a slight creamy flavor