E960D - Glucosylated steviol glycosides

At a glance

• What it is: Modified stevia sweeteners with extra glucose units attached
• What it does: Sweetens with a cleaner taste and better solubility than standard stevia
• Where it’s used: Soft drinks, flavored waters, yogurts, desserts, tabletop blends
• Dietary notes: No animal ingredients; used at tiny amounts; suitable for sugar reduction
• Also known as: E960D, glucosylated stevia; related to steviol glycosides

Why is Glucosylated steviol glycosides added to food?

Food makers use E960D to get a rounder, less bitter stevia taste, especially in acidic or high‑water foods like soft drinks. The added glucose units make the molecules easier to dissolve and help mask lingering aftertaste, so less flavor juggling is needed to cut sugar while keeping a clean, sweet profile.¹

What foods contain Glucosylated steviol glycosides?

You’ll most often find E960D in:

• Diet and reduced‑sugar soft drinks, iced teas, and flavored waters
• Light yogurts, dairy desserts, and puddings
• Sugar‑reduced jams, sauces, and syrups
• Confectionery, chewing gum, and mints
• Tabletop sweeteners, often blended with bulkers like erythritol

On labels, look for “glucosylated steviol glycosides,” “glucosylated stevia,” “enzyme‑modified stevia,” or “E 960d.”¹

What can replace Glucosylated steviol glycosides?

Depending on the recipe, formulators might swap in:

• Other stevia types: steviol glycosides or enzymatically produced steviol glycosides
• High‑intensity sweeteners: sucralose, acesulfame K, aspartame, neotame, advantame
• Polyol bulk sweeteners: erythritol

Choice depends on desired taste, heat/pH stability, label goals, and regional rules.

How is Glucosylated steviol glycosides made?

• Stevia leaves are extracted and purified to obtain high‑purity steviol glycosides (like rebaudioside A).
• Food‑grade enzymes then attach one or more glucose units to these glycosides. This “glucosylation” softens bitterness and improves solubility.
• The product is filtered and purified, dried to a powder, and standardized to meet official specifications.²

Is Glucosylated steviol glycosides safe to eat?

In the European Union, glucosylated steviol glycosides are authorized as E 960d with defined purity criteria and permitted uses.¹ Stevia‑based sweeteners share an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 0–4 mg per kg body weight per day, expressed as steviol equivalents.³ They are not absorbed intact; gut microbes break them down to steviol, which is then processed by the liver and excreted.³

Does Glucosylated steviol glycosides have any benefits?

• Helps reduce added sugars while keeping sweetness
• Often gives a smoother taste than standard stevia, reducing the need for heavy flavor masking
• Effective at very low use levels, which can support lower‑calorie formulations

Who should avoid Glucosylated steviol glycosides?

• Anyone with a known sensitivity to stevia‑based sweeteners should avoid it.
• If you are tracking carbs from blends, check labels: some tabletop products combine stevia sweeteners with polyols like erythritol or other carriers.
• For specific medical diets, follow your healthcare provider’s advice on sweeteners.

Myths & facts

• Myth: It’s artificial. Fact: The sweet parts come from stevia leaves; enzymes are used to add glucose units for taste and handling.
• Myth: It is the same as crude stevia leaf powder. Fact: It’s a purified, standardized ingredient with set specs and known composition.²
• Myth: It spikes blood sugar like table sugar. Fact: It’s a high‑intensity sweetener used at tiny amounts and is metabolized differently than sugar.³
• Myth: It can’t handle acidic drinks. Fact: It’s commonly used in soft drinks and flavored waters.¹

Glucosylated steviol glycosides in branded foods

You may see E960D in sugar‑reduced sodas, no‑sugar iced teas, light yogurts, dairy desserts, chewing gum, and tabletop sweeteners. Labels might read “glucosylated steviol glycosides,” “glucosylated stevia,” “enzyme‑modified stevia,” or “E 960d.” Pairings with acids like citric acid and other sweeteners (for example, erythritol or sucralose) are common to fine‑tune taste and mouthfeel.

References

Footnotes

1. Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/1156 — amending the Union list as regards steviol glycosides (E 960). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32021R1156 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

2. Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 — specifications for food additives listed in Annexes II and III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2012/231/oj ↩ ↩²

3. High-Intensity Sweeteners — U.S. FDA overview (ADI and metabolism of steviol glycosides). https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/additional-information-about-high-intensity-sweeteners-permitted-food-united-states ↩ ↩² ↩³