The sweetener question
Reb M vs Stevia
Reb M is a natural, zero-calorie sweetener with a cleaner taste and none of the bitter, licorice finish stevia is known for.
A natural sweetener that tastes like sugar
Reb M is short for rebaudioside M. It is one of the sweet compounds the stevia plant makes, but only in tiny amounts, and it is the one responsible for the cleanest, most sugar-like taste. It is roughly 250 times sweeter than sugar, so a very small amount sweetens a whole serving, with zero calories and no effect on blood sugar.
Stevia leaf extract is a blend of these compounds, and the cheaper, more common ones, like stevioside and Reb A, are where the bitter, licorice-like aftertaste comes from. Reb M is the rare, clean-tasting member of the family. In blind taste tests, people rated Reb M about as sweet and clean as table sugar, while Reb A scored several times more bitter, and stevioside more bitter still.
Why we use it
What makes Reb M different
Clean sweetness, no bitter finish, and none of the stomach upset sugar alcohols can bring.
Made from fermented rice
We use OnoSweet, a Reb M made by fermenting rice instead of extracting the stevia leaf.
No stevia aftertaste
None of the bitter, licorice-like finish stevia leaf extract is known for.
Zero glycemic
Zero calories and no blood-sugar spike, so it works for keto and fasting.
Easy on the stomach
Not a sugar alcohol, so it does not cause the bloating erythritol and xylitol can.
How Reb M is made
Because Reb M is so rare in the stevia leaf, pulling enough of it straight from the plant is not practical. Instead it is made by fermentation, the same kind of process behind many everyday food ingredients.
Our Reb M is OnoSweet, made by Compound Solutions. Food-grade microbes ferment carbohydrates from rice and produce Reb M directly. The molecule they make is identical to the Reb M in the stevia leaf, so you get the same clean sweetness, but it comes from fermented rice rather than a leaf extract. It is non-GMO, and because it never touches the stevia leaf, it carries none of the leaf's bitter notes.
So is Reb M actually stevia?
Stevia is not one sweetener. Stevia leaf extract is a blend of related compounds called steviol glycosides, and a label rarely says which ones it contains or in what amounts. They taste very different from each other.
- Stevioside is the most common one in the leaf and the cheapest to make. It is also the most bitter, with the strongest licorice-like finish. Budget stevia leans on it.
- Reb A is the industry standard. Less bitter than stevioside, though it still leaves an aftertaste in larger amounts.
- Reb D and Reb M are scarce in the leaf and the cleanest tasting, close to sugar with little or no bitterness. They also cost the most.
So when a product simply lists stevia leaf extract, you cannot really tell how bitter it will be until you taste it. Reb M is the cleanest of the group, and fermenting it from rice reaches that purity more directly than the leaf ever could. Leaf stevia is pulled from the plant as a mix of glycosides, then separated from the pigments, fats, and other compounds it grows alongside. Ours is built straight into a single, pure molecule, so nothing from the leaf tags along and the taste holds steady from one batch to the next. To see which electrolyte brands still sweeten with stevia leaf, check our stevia-free electrolytes.
Is Reb M safe?
Yes. Reb M is one of the most reviewed sweeteners on the market. The FDA has issued multiple no-questions letters recognizing Reb M as Generally Recognized as Safe for use in food and drinks, and food-safety authorities worldwide, including the World Health Organization's food additive committee, the European Food Safety Authority, and Health Canada, have all set the same safe daily intake for steviol glycosides. Your body does not absorb or store it. It passes through, which is why it adds no calories.
Reb M for keto, fasting, and blood sugar
Reb M has no calories and does not raise blood sugar or insulin the way sugar does, which makes it a common choice for keto and low-carb eating. It is also not a sugar alcohol, so it avoids the bloating and stomach upset erythritol, sorbitol, and xylitol can cause. If you fast, most people treat a zero-calorie sweetener like Reb M as fine during a fasting window, though the strictest approaches avoid all sweet taste. Our Raw Unflavored mix has no sweetener at all if you want to avoid sweet taste entirely.
Reb M FAQ
Common questions about Reb M
Is Reb M the same as stevia?
Does Reb M have an aftertaste?
Why do some stevia products taste worse than others?
Is Reb M safe?
Is Reb M natural and non-GMO?
Is Reb M keto and fasting friendly?
What is OnoSweet?
Which Saltivate products use Reb M?
New to Saltivate?
Find your flavor first
The variety pack is six single-serve sticks across our flavors, enough to find your favorite before you commit. Prefer no sweetener at all? Raw Unflavored has none, just pure electrolytes.
