PureCircle, the Malaysian sweetener company that has signed deals with PepsiCo and Cargill, has lifted refined production capacity for its rebaudioside-A to 500 tonnes a year as part of a $64m (£39m, €43m) investment. The company more than doubled sales of Reb-A to 266 tonnes for the year to June 30.

William Mitchell, chief financial officer, said that sources for the stevia leaf from which Reb-A is extracted had been extended from just one country a year ago to seven countries on three continents.