Steviol glycoside compositions with improved solubility

Abstract

A steviol glycoside composition comprising at least one steviol glycoside and at least one of siamenoside I, mogroside V, mogroside III-E, and mogroside II-E, wherein solubility of the steviol glycosides in the composition are higher than in an equivalent composition lacking siamenoside I, mogroside V, mogroside III-E, and mogroside II-E. The composition may be an aqueous solution.

Description

STEVIOL GLYCOSIDE COMPOSITIONS WITH IMPROVED SOLUBILITYCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 515.997, filed July 27. 2023, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 564.766, filed March 13, 2024, each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.BACKGROUND

[0002] Sugars, such as sucrose, fructose, and glucose, are utilized to provide a pleasant taste to beverages, foods, pharmaceuticals, and oral hygienic / cosmetic products. Although sucrose provides superior sweetness characteristics, it is caloric. Within the food and beverage industry7, there continue to be efforts to reduce caloric sugars in products as consumers continue to seek low-calorie alternatives to calorie-rich products. While sugar substitutes can provide a sweetened taste to products, there may be limitations to preparing products with sugar substitutes. For example, consumers may find that the sensory and temporal characteristics of sugar substitutes differ from those found in caloric sweeteners such as glucose, sucrose, and / or fructose. These sensory characteristics can limit the use of sugar substitutes in products and become increasingly limiting as the concentration of sugar substitute increases. Further, the chemical and physical characteristics of sugar substitutes may differ from caloric sweeteners.

[0003] Steviol glycosides are a class of sweet-tasting glycosylated diterpene compounds commonly obtained from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana. Various such compounds are known, each having differing properties, taste profiles, and chemical structures. A typical steviol glycoside is characterized by a single steviol backbone and contains one or more carbohydrate residues at Cl 3 and Cl 9. For example, rebaudioside A contains a branched group of three glucosyl groups at Cl 3 and a single 0-glucosyl at Cl 9, while rebaudioside D contains the same unit at C13 but a diglucosyl at Cl 9. Steviol glycosides can serve as powerful sweeteners even at low7concentrations — providing a sweetening effect approximately 150 to 450 times greater than an equivalent amount of sugar.

[0004] Steviol glycosides offer a non-caloric alternative to traditional caloric sweeteners such as sugar, glucose, sucrose, and / or fructose. Although steviol glycosides have higher sweetness intensity than sugar, they are less soluble in water. This can limit the use of steviol glycosides in various consumer products, particularly those which seek to use steviol glycosides in the highest concentrations.

[0005] Further improvements to sweetener compositions are desired.SUMMARY

[0006] The present disclosure provides steviol glycoside compositions and methods for sweetening a food or beverage product.

[0007] The present disclosure provides an aqueous steviol glycoside solution comprising one or more steviol glycosides; and a mogroside selected from the group consisting of siamenoside I, mogroside V, mogroside III-E, mogroside II-E, and combinations thereof; wherein the ratio by weight of total steviol glycosides to total mogrosides is between 0.5: 1 and 4: 1. Solubility of the one or more steviol glycosides in the aqueous solution may be higher than solubility in an equivalent aqueous solution lacking the mogroside. The steviol glycoside may comprise one or more of rebaudioside A, rebaudioside B, rebaudioside C, rebaudioside D, rebaudioside J, rebaudioside M, rebaudioside N. and rebaudioside O. The steviol glycoside may comprise rebaudioside D and rebaudioside M. The total steviol glycosides in the aqueous solution may comprise 50 wt% to 90 wt% rebaudioside M and 1 wt% to 25 wt% rebaudioside D. Total steviol glycosides in the aqueous solution may comprise less than 5 wt% rebaudioside A, less than 5 wt% rebaudioside B, and / or less than 5 wt% stevioside. The aqueous solution may comprise at least 0.25%. at least 0.5 wt%. at least 0.75%. at least 1.0 wt%. at least 1.5 wt%. at least 2.0 wt% or at least 2.5 wt% steviol glycosides.

[0008] The mogroside may comprise siamenoside I and mogroside III-E. Total mogrosides in the aqueous solution may comprise at least 75% siamenoside I. Total mogrosides in the aqueous solution may comprise 5 wt% to 20 wt% mogroside III-E. The ratio by weight of total steviol glycosides to total mogrosides may be between 0.1 : 1 and 1 : 1 and the aqueous solution is soluble for at least 3 days when stored at 23 °C.

[0009] The mogroside may comprise a mogrol core and 4 or more glycosides, e.g., mogroside V, siamenoside I, or combinations thereof. Total mogrosides in the aqueous solution may comprise at least 95 wt% mogroside V. The ratio by weight of total steviol glycoside to total mogroside may be between 0.1 : 1 and 5: 1 and the aqueous solution is soluble for at least 1 day when stored at 23 °C. The aqueous solution may be acidic, the ratio by weight of total steviol glycosides to total mogrosides is between 0.5:1 and 1:1. and the solution is soluble for at least 14 days at 23 °C.

[0010] Also described herein are beverages, beverage products, and food products including the aqueous solutions and / or sweeteners described herein.

[0011] The disclosure also provides a method for improving steviol glycoside solubility in an aqueous solution, the method comprising adding to an aqueous solution one or more steviol glycosides and a mogroside selected from the group consisting of siamenoside I, mogroside V, mogroside III-E, mogroside II-E, and combinations thereof, whereby an aqueous steviol glycoside solution is formed; wherein solubility of the one or more steviol glycosides in the aqueous steviol glycoside solution is higher than solubility7in an equivalent aqueous solution lacking the mogroside. Following addition, the aqueous solution may be stirred until total steviol glycosides and total mogrosides are dissolved. The solution may be stirred at a temperature at or above 50 °C, at or above 60 °C. at or above 70 °C, at or above 75 °C, or at or above 80 °C. The steviol glycoside may comprise one or more of rebaudioside A, rebaudioside B, rebaudioside C, rebaudioside D, rebaudioside J, rebaudioside M, rebaudioside N, and rebaudioside O. The steviol glycoside may comprise rebaudioside D and rebaudioside M. The total steviol gly cosides in the aqueous solution may comprise 50 wt% to 90 wt% rebaudioside M and 1 wt% to 25 wt% rebaudioside D. Total steviol glycosides in the aqueous solution may comprise less than 5 wt% rebaudioside A, less than 5 wt% rebaudioside B, and / or less than 5 wt% stevioside. The aqueous solution may comprise at least 0.25%, at least 0.5 wt%, at least 0.75%, at least 1.0 wt%, at least 1.5 wt%, at least 2.0 wt% or at least 2.5 wt% steviol glycosides when at room temperature (e.g., cooled to room temperature after stirring at elevated temperature, concentration remains at the recited level).

[0012] The disclosure further provides a use of a mogroside selected from the group consisting of siamenoside I, mogroside V, mogroside III-E, mogroside II-E, and combinations thereof to increase solubility of one or more steviol glycosides.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0013] This patent or application contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawings will be provided by the Office upon request and the payment of the necessary fee.

[0014] The drawings illustrate generally, by way of example, but not by way of limitation, various aspects discussed herein.

[0015] FIG. 1 shows the structure of siamenoside I.

[0016] FIG. 2 shows the structure of mogroside V.

[0017] FIG. 3 shows solutions of mogroside V, rebaudioside M, and rebaudioside D at various concentrations after 14 days of storage at room temperature.

[0018] FIG. 4 shows the structure of mogroside II-E.

[0019] FIG. 5 shows the structure of mogroside III-E.

[0020] FIG. 6 shows stead-state dissolution of mogrosides as outlined in Example 7.

[0021] FIG. 7 shows steady-state dissolution of steviol glycosides as outlined in Example 7.The solid horizontal line represents the solubility of the tested glycoside blend without the addition of mogrosides or other solubility’ aids.

[0022] FIG. 8 shows the amount of dissolved steviol glycosides as a function of added mogrosides as outlined in Example 7.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Reference will now be made in detail to certain aspects of the disclosed subject matter, examples of which are illustrated in part in the accompanying drawings. While the disclosed subject matter will be described in conjunction with the enumerated claims, it will be understood that the exemplified subject matter is not intended to limit the claims to the disclosed subject matter.

[0024] In this document, the terms “a,” “an,” or “the” are used to include one or more than one unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term “or” is used to refer to a nonexclusive “or” unless otherwise indicated. All publications, patents, and patent documents referred to in this document are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety, as though individually incorporated by reference. In the event of inconsistent usages between this document and those documents so incorporated by reference, the usage in the incorporated reference should be considered supplementary to that of this document: for irreconcilable inconsistencies, the usage in this document controls.

[0025] Values expressed in a range format should be interpreted in a flexible manner to include not only the numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range, but also to include all the individual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numerical value and sub-range were explicitly recited. For example, a range of “about 0. 1% to about 5%” or “about 0. 1 % to 5%” should be interpreted to include not just about 0. 1 % to about 5%, but also the individual values (e.g., 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%) and the sub-ranges (e.g., 0.1% to 0.5%, 1.1% to 2.2%, 3.3% to 4.4%) within the indicated range. The statement “about X to Y” has the same meaning as “about X to about Y,” unless indicated otherwise. Likewise, the statement “about X, Y, or about Z” has the same meaning as “about X, about Y, or about Z,” unless indicated otherwise.

[0026] Unless expressly stated, ppm (parts per million), percentage, and ratios are on a by weight basis. Percentage on a by weight basis is also referred to as wt% or % (wt) below.

[0027] This disclosure relates to compositions containing steviol glycosides and one or more of siamenoside I, mogroside V, mogroside III-E, and mogroside II-E. The compositions including siamenoside L mogroside V, mogroside III-E. mogroside II-E. or combinations thereof have higher aqueous steviol glycoside solubility than solubility of the steviol glycosides in the absence of siamenoside I, mogroside V or the combination thereof. The disclosure also relates to methods for solubilizing steviol glycosides in the presence of siamenoside I and / or mogroside V.Steviol Glycosides

[0028] The steviol glycoside component can include one or more steviol glycosides. In some aspects, the term steviol glycoside refers to rebaudioside A (Reb A) (CAS # 58543-16-1), rebaudioside B (Reb B) (CAS # 58543-17-2). rebaudioside C (Reb C) (CAS # 63550-99-2), rebaudioside D (Reb D) (CAS # 63279-13-0), rebaudioside E (Reb E) (CAS # 63279-14-1), rebaudioside EE (Reb EE), rebaudioside F (Reb F) (CAS # 438045-89-7), 1,3-stevioside (rebaudioside G or Reb G), rebaudioside I (Reb I) (MassBank Record: FU000332), rebaudioside J (Reb J) (CAS # 1313049-59-0), rebaudioside M (Reb M) (CAS # 1220616-44-3), rebaudioside N (Reb N), rebaudioside O (Reb O) (CAS # 1220616-48-7), rebaudioside Q (Reb Q), rebaudioside V2 (Reb V2), rebaudioside DG (Reb DG), rubusoside (CAS # 63849-39-4), dulcoside A (CAS # 64432-06-0), stevioside, 1,2-stevioside (CAS # 57817-89-7), steviolmonoside, steviol-13- monoside, steviol- 19-monoside, steviolbioside, steviol- 1,2-bioside (MassBank Record: FU000299), steviol- 1,3-bioside, steviol- 13-O-glucoside (13-SMG), steviol- 19-O-glucoside (19- SMG), OPS 1-5 (corresponding to compound 4 from WO2016100689), 13-[([3-D- glucopyranosyl)oxy)kaur-16-en-l 8-oic acid 2-O-P-D-glucopyranosyl-p-D-glucopyranosyl ester, steviol glycosides with 1, 2,3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more glycosides, and isomers thereof. Further discussion of steviol glycosides can be found in Harriet Wallin et al., Steviol Glycosides, 84th JECFA - Chemical and Technical Assessment (2017) Food Agric. Org. Rebaudiosides can be used in commercially available form, obtainable from Cargill, Inc. (Wayzata, MN). Rebaudiosides can be isolated and purified before use.

[0029] Steviol glycosides are sometimes used as blends, such as blends of Reb D and Reb M. Such blends may be notated as "rebaudioside D / M" or “Reb D / M" and may include the two rebaudiosides. This terminology format may be used for compositions having any othercombination of glycosides, for example, but not limited to, Reb D / G, Reb D / M / 0, Reb N / O, Reb D / E, and the like.

[0030] Structurally, steviol glycosides comprise a steviol backbone and differ by the presence and arrangement of carbohydrate residues at the C13 and C19 positions of the steviol backbone, according to the atom numbering on the base shown below. The glucopyranosyl residues represent groups Ri and R2 in the following formula:

[0031] Not only do steviol glycosides differ structurally, but the various steviol glycosides also have differing physical and sensory properties. Steviol is represented by the above formula when Ri and R2 are hydrogen. Steviol glycosides generally have the formula shown above where steviol is the aglycone backbone and Ri and R2 can each be hydrogen or one or more sugar moieties. These sugar moieties are most commonly glucose, rhamnose, or xylose, but steviol glycosides have been reported that include fructose and deoxyglucose sugar moieties. Table 1 below shows the various steviol glycosides and the corresponding Ri and R2 groups:Table 1.Glu: glucose; Rha: rhamnose; Xyl: xylose

[0032] Not only do steviol glycosides differ structurally, but the various steviol glycosides can also differ in their sensory properties. For example, stevioside (comprising three glucose units) and rebaudioside A (comprising four glucose units) are found in greater abundance in stevia extracts and have particular sweetness attributes. Both stevioside and rebaudioside A add sweetness but can also be perceived as exhibiting bitterness attributes, especially at higher concentrations. Rebaudioside A exhibits bitterness attributes that increase with concentration and that can limit its use at higher concentrations (e.g., greater than 400 ppm).

[0033] Other steviol glycosides can include increased numbers of glycosides and are found in much lower abundance in stevia extracts. Such compounds can sometimes be termed “minor’ steviol glycosides, even when they are used as a primary component in a composition. For example, so-called minor steviol glycosides can include rebaudioside D and rebaudioside M, which are found in lower abundance in stevia extracts and comprise different sweetness attributes than the more abundant steviol glycosides. Some of the sweetness attributes of these minor steviol glycosides can be preferred over the major steviol glycosides. For example, rebaudioside D and rebaudioside M exhibit reduced bitterness attributes compared to rebaudioside A. These reduced bitterness attributes of rebaudioside D and rebaudioside M permit a more favorable sensoryexperience and enable their use at higher concentrations. However, although bitterness is reduced in rebaudioside D and rebaudioside M compared to rebaudioside A, the perception of bitterness can still be limiting, especially at higher concentrations.

[0034] Additionally , steviol glycosides can differ in their chemical and phy sical properties. For example, it has been reported that rebaudioside D is difficult to use in food products because of its poor dissolution and low solubility in water at room temperature. For instance, rebaudioside D needs to be heated to near boiling water temperature for 2 hours in order to achieve complete dissolution at 0.8 % concentration. At most, only 300 to 450 ppm can be solubilized in water at 23 °C (e.g., see US 2013 / 0251881). As another example, rebaudioside M obtained from Stevia rebaudiana has poor water sol ubi 1 i ty and dissolution qualities in beverage formulations (e.g., see US 2014 / 0171519). Certain methods to improve rebaudioside solubility are less than desirable because they are labor intensive, requiring high processing temperatures. For example, see WO 2013148177. Low solubility and slow dissolution can limit the use of steviol glycosides in various consumer products, particularly those which seek to use steviol glycosides in the highest concentrations.Compositions

[0035] The steviol glycoside compositions discussed herein may be sweetener compositions or other compositions, such as foodstuffs, including the steviol glycoside composition. While the following discussion references steviol glycoside compositions, it should be understood that the discussion applies to sweetener composition and other compositions, as w ell, whether or not they would be considered sweetener compositions.

[0036] A steviol glycoside composition of the present disclosure includes one or more steviol glycosides and a solubility enhancer. The solubility enhancer increases the solubility of the one or more steviol glycosides in aqueous solutions. The solubility7enhancer is a mogroside, for example siamenoside I, mogroside V, mogroside III-E, mogroside II-E. or combinations thereof. The solubility enhancer may be a mogroside with a mogrol backbone and four or more glycosides (e.g., siamenoside I and mogroside V). The one or more steviol glycosides may be selected from rebaudioside A (Reb A), rebaudioside B (Reb B), rebaudioside C (Reb C), rebaudioside D (Reb D), rebaudioside J (Reb J), rebaudioside M (Reb M), rebaudioside N (Reb N), rebaudioside O (Reb O), and combinations of two or more thereof. In some embodiments, the one or more steviol glycosides includes Reb D. In some embodiments, the one or more steviol glycosides includes Reb M. In some embodiments, the one or more steviol glycosides includes Reb D and Reb M.Additional steviol glycosides may be included. In some embodiments, the one or more steviol glycosides consist of or consist essentially of Reb D and Reb M.

[0037] The steviol glycoside composition may be an aqueous solution. That is, the one or more steviol glycosides are in solution, dissolved in water or other aqueous liquid. The steviol glycoside composition includes siamenoside I and / or mogroside V in an amount that improves the solubility of the one or more steviol glycosides in the composition. The steviol glycoside composition may include one or more steviol glycosides at a concentration that, without the presence of siamenoside I or mogroside V, would not be fully soluble in the aqueous solution. The one or more steviol glycosides may be present in the steviol glycoside composition in an amount of 0.25 wt% or more, 0.3wt% or more, 0.5 wt% or more, 1 wt% or more, 1.5 wt% or more, 2.0 wt% or more, 2.5 wt% or more, 3.0 wt% or more, 4.0% or more, or 5.0% or more based on the weight of the aqueous solution. The one or more steviol glycosides may be present in the steviol glycoside composition in an amount between 0. 1 wt% and 10.0 wt%, between 0.5 wt% and 8.0 wt%, or between 1.0 wt% and 5.0 wt%. based on the weight of the aqueous solution.

[0038] The steviol glycoside composition may include Reb D and Reb M in an amount greater than other steviol glycosides. The steviol glycosides in the composition may be described based on the content of Reb D and Reb M. For example, total steviol glycosides in the composition may include greater than 80 wt% Reb M (RM80), greater than 90 wt% Reb M (RM90), greater than 95 wt% Reb M (RM95), or greater than 99 wt% Reb M (RM99). Reb M can be the predominant steviol glycoside in the composition, and can be present, for example, in an amount between 50 wt% and 95 wt%, between 70 wt% and 90 wt%, or between 75 wt% and 85 wt% based on the total weight of steviol glycosides in the composition. Reb D may be present together with Reb M. The Reb D may be present at a lower concentration than the Reb M, for example, in an amount between 1 wt% and 25 wt%, between 3 wt% and 20 wt%, or between 5 wt% and 15 wt%, based on the total weight of steviol glycosides in the composition. In one example, Reb M is at least 85 wt% and Reb D is between 3 wt% and 15 wt% based on the total weight of the steviol glycosides in the composition. The steviol glycoside compositions may include ate least 50 wt%, at least 60 wt%, at least 70 wt%, at least 75 wt%, at least 80 wt%, at least 85 wt%, at least 90 wt%, at least 95 wt% or at least 98 wt% of the combination of Reb M and Reb D based on the total weight of steviol glycosides in the combinations. Other steviol glycosides may be present in the composition, but some may be present in only small amounts. For example. Reb A. Reb B. and stevioside may be present together with Reb D and Reb M but in an amount less than 5 wt%, less than 2 wt%, or less than 1 \\1% based on total weight of steviol glycosides in the composition.

[0039] Steviol glycoside solubility can also be affected by the pH of the aqueous solution. In general, steviol glycoside compositions described herein may be a pH between 2 and 8 The steviol glycoside composition may have an acidic pH, for example pH 3, which is ty pical of some beverage products such as carbonated soft drinks and fountain beverages. The pH of an aqueous steviol glycoside composition as describe here may be between 2.5 and 3.5 or between 6 and 7.

[0040] The solubility enhancer in the compositions described herein is generally a mogroside, for example, siamenoside I, mogroside V, mogroside III-E, mogroside II-E, or combinations thereof. Greater than 80% of known mogrosides are sweeter than sucrose and have an acceptable taste quality (see, Philippe, et al.. “Biotechnological production of natural zero-calorie sweeteners,” Curr. Opin. Biotech, April 2014, 26: 155-166). The mogroside may include a mogrol core and 4 or more glycosides. Structurally, mogrosides comprise a mogrol backbone and differ by the presence and arrangement of glycoside residues in positions R1 and R2 of the mogrol backbone formula below:

[0041] Siamenoside I is a cucurbitane glycoside natural sweetener found in Monk Fruit (Siraitia grosvenoriv. also known as luo han guo) and has the structure shown in Formula I below and in FIG. 1. As shown, siamenoside I is a triterpenoid saponin with four glycosyl positions. Siamenoside I suitable for use in the present steviol glycosides compositions may be extracted from monk fruit or another plant (e.g., a plant engineered to biosynthesize mogrosides (Liao, et al., 'Heterologous mogroside biosynthesis in cucumber and tomato by genetic manipulation,” Communications Biology, 6, article number 191, 17 February 2023), may be produced synthetically, may be produced by bioconversion (e.g., see Xu et al., “Engineering of a UDP- glycosyltransferase for the efficient whole cell biosynthesis of siamenoside I in Escherichia coli,” J. Agric. Food Chem., 2022, 70, 5, 1601-1609), or may be produced by fermentation with a microorganism engineered to contain a siamenoside I biosynthetic pathway.

[0042] The steviol glycoside composition may include siamenoside I in an amount that improves the solubility' of the one or more steviol glycosides in the composition. In general, the composition may include a weight ratio of total steviol glycosides to siamenoside I between 5: 1 and 0.1 : 1, between 0.25: 1 and 4.5: 1, or between 0.5:1 and 4: 1. The composition may include a weight ratio of total steviol glycosides to siamenoside I between 5:1 and 0.1: 1 and is soluble for at least 1 day at 23 °C. The composition may include at least 0.5 wt%, at least 0.75 wt%, or at least 1 .0 wt% total steviol glycosides, a weight ratio of total steviol glycosides to siamenoside I between 5: 1 and 0.1 : 1 and is soluble for at least 1 day at 23 °C. The composition may include between 0.5 wt% and 10 wt%, between 0.75 wt% and 7.5 wt%, or between 1.0 wt% and 5 wt% total steviol glycosides, a weight ratio of total steviol glycosides to siamenoside I between 5: 1 and 0.1: 1 and is soluble for at least 1 day at 23 °C.

[0043] Mogroside V is a non-caloric high intensity cucurbitane glycoside natural sweetener found in monk fruit and has the structure show n in Formula II below and in FIG. 2. Mogroside V is the major mogroside present in monk fruit, constituting about 0.5% to 1.4% dry w eight of the fruit, and is approximately 250 times sweeter than sucrose. Mogroside V suitable for use in the present steviol glycoside composition may be extracted from monk fruit or another plant (e.g., a plant engineered to biosynthesize mogrosides (Liao, et al., “Heterologous mogroside biosynthesis in cucumber and tomato by genetic manipulation,” Communications Biology, 6, article number191, 17 February 2023), may be produced synthetically, may be produced by bioconversion, or may be produced by fermentation with a microorganism engineered to contain a mogroside V biosynthetic pathway. See, for example, Itkin, et al., 2016 (“The biosynthetic pathway of the nonsugar, high-intensity sweetener mogroside V from Siraitia grosvenorii,"’ 2016, PNAS, 113(47):E7619-E7628).

[0044] The steviol glycoside composition may include mogroside V in an amount that improves the solubility of the one or more steviol gly cosides in the composition. In general, the composition includes a weight ratio of total steviol glycoside to mogroside V between 0.1 : 1 and 5: 1, between 0.5: 1 and 4: 1, or between 1 : 1 and 2: 1. The composition may include a weight ratio of total steviol glycoside to mogroside V between 0.1:1 and 5 : 1 and is soluble for at least 1 day at 23 °C. The composition may include at least 1 wt%, at least 1.5 wt%, at least 2 wt%, or at least 2.5 wt% total steviol glycoside, a weight ratio of total steviol glycoside to mogroside V between 5: and 3: 1, or about 4: 1, and is soluble for at least 3 days at 23 °C. The composition may include between 1 wt% and 10 wt%, between 1 .5 wt% and 8 wt%, between 2 wt% and 7 wt%, or between 2.5 wt% and 5 wt% total steviol glycoside, a weight ratio of total steviol glycoside to mogroside V between 5: and 3: 1, or about 4: 1, and is soluble for at least 3 days at 23 °C. The composition may be an acid solution with a pH between 2.5 and 3.5. include at least 0.1 wt%, at least 0.25 wt%, at least 0.5 wt%, at least 2.5 wt%, or at least 3 wt% total steviol glycosides, have a weight ratio of total steviol glycosides to mogroside V between 0.25: 1 and 1.5: 1, or between 0.5: 1 and 1 : 1, and is soluble for at least 14 days at 23 °C. The composition may be an acid solution with apH between 2.5 and 3.5, include between 0.1 wt% and 10 wt%, between 0.25 wt% and 9 wt%, between 0.5 \\1% and 8 wt%, between 2.5 wt% and 7 wt%, or between 3 wt% and 6 wt% total steviol glycosides, have a weight ratio of total steviol glycosides to mogroside V between 0.25: 1 and 1.5: 1, or between 0.5: 1 and 1: 1, and is soluble for at least 14 days at 23 °C.

[0045] Mogroside II-E is a glycoside natural sweetener found in Monk Fruit and has the structure shown in Formula III below and in FIG. 4. Mogroside II-E suitable for use in the present steviol glycosides compositions may be extracted from monk fruit or another plant (e.g., a plant engineered to biosynthesize mogrosides (Liao, et al., “Heterologous mogroside biosynthesis in cucumber and tomato by genetic manipulation,” Communications Biology, 6. article number 191, 17 February 2023), may be produced synthetically, may be produced by bioconversion, or may be produced by fermentation with a microorganism engineered to contain a siamenoside I biosynthetic pathway.

[0046] The steviol glycoside composition may include mogroside II-E in an amount that improves the solubility’ of the one or more steviol glycosides in the composition. In general, the composition may include a weight ratio of total steviol glycosides to mogroside II-E between 0.1 : 1 and 10:1, between 0.5: 1 and 10: 1, between 0.5: 1 and 5: 1, between 1.5: 1 and 5: 1, between 2: 1 and 4: 1, between 0.25:1 and 0.75: 1, or about 0.5:1. The composition may include a weight ratio of total steviol glycoside to mogroside II-E between 0.1 : 1 and 10: 1 and is soluble for at least 1 day at 23 °C. The composition may include a weight ratio of total steviol glycoside to mogroside II- E between 1.5: 1 and 5:1 and is soluble for at least 2 days at 23 °C. The composition may include a weight ratio of total steviol glycoside to mogroside II- E between 0.25: 1 and 0.75: 1 and is solublefor at least 2 days at 23 °C. The composition may include at least 0.5 wt%, at least 0.75 wt%, or at least 1.0 wt% total steviol glycosides, a weight ratio of total steviol glycosides to mogroside II- E between 0.1 :1 and 10: 1 and is soluble for at least 1 day at 23 °C. The composition may include at least 0.5 wt%, at least 0.75 wt%, or at least 1.0 wt% total steviol glycosides, a weight ratio of total steviol glycosides to mogroside II-E between 1.5: 1 and 5: 1 and is soluble for at least 2 days at 23 °C. The composition may include at least 0.5 wt%, at least 0.75 wt%, or at least 1.0 wt% total steviol glycosides, a weight ratio of total steviol glycosides to mogroside II-E between 0.25: 1 and 0.75:1 and is soluble for at least 2 days at 23 °C.

[0047] Mogroside III-E is a glycoside natural sweetener found in Monk Fruit and has the structure shown in Formula IV below and in FIG. 5. Mogroside III-E suitable for use in the present steviol glycosides compositions may be extracted from monk fruit or another plant (e.g., a plant engineered to biosynthesize mogrosides (Liao, et al., “Heterologous mogroside biosynthesis in cucumber and tomato by genetic manipulation." Communications Biology, 6. article number 191, 17 February 2023), may be produced synthetically, may be produced by bioconversion, or may be produced by fermentation with a microorganism engineered to contain a siamenoside I biosynthetic pathway. )

[0048] The steviol glycoside composition may include mogroside III-E in an amount that improves the solubility of the one or more steviol glycosides in the composition. In general, the composition may include a weight ratio of total steviol glycosides to mogroside III-E between 0.1 : 1 and 10: 1. between 0.5:1 and 10: 1. between 0.5:1 and 5: 1, between 2.5: 1 and 5: 1, between 3: 1 and 4: 1, or about 4: 1. The composition may include a weight ratio of total steviol glycoside to mogroside III-E between 0. 1 : 1 and 10: 1 and is soluble for at least 1 day at 23 °C. The composition may include a weight ratio of total steviol glycoside to mogroside III-E between 2.5: 1 and 5: 1 and is soluble for at least 2 days at 23 °C. The composition may include at least 0.5 wt%, at least 0.75 wt%, or at least 1.0 wt% total steviol glycosides, a weight ratio of total steviol glycoside to mogroside III-E between 0.1 : 1 and 10: 1 and is soluble for at least 1 day at 23 °C. The composition may include at least 0.5 wt%, at least 0.75 wt%, or at least 1.0 wt% total steviol glycosides, a weight ratio of total steviol glycoside to mogroside III-E between 2.5:1 and 5: 1, and is soluble for at least 2 day at 23 °C. The composition may include between 0.5 wt% and 10 wt%, between 0.75 wt% and 7.5 wt%. or between 1.0 wt% and 5 wt% total steviol glycosides, a weight ratio of total steviol glycoside to mogroside III-E between 0.1 : 1 and 10: 1 and is soluble for at least 1 day at 23 °C. The composition may include between 0.5 wt% and 10 wt%, between 0.75 wt% and 7.5 wt%, or between 1.0 wt% and 5 wt% total steviol glycosides, a weight ratio of total steviol glycoside to mogroside III-E between 2.5: 1 and 5: 1 and is soluble for at least 2 day at 23 °C.

[0049] The steviol glycoside composition may include a combination of any of the mogrosides recited herein, including siamenoside I, mogroside V, mogroside II-E, and mogroside III-E, in an amount that improves the solubility' of the one or more steviol glycosides in the composition. The combination of mogrosides may include a combination of siamenoside I and mogroside III-E. The combination my include between 70 wt% to 95 wt%, between 72 wt% and 90 wt%, or between 75 wt% and 80 wt% siamenoside I. The combination may include between 1 wl% and 25 wt%, between 5 wt% and 20 wt%, or betw een 10 wt% and 15 wt% mogroside III-E. The composition may include a combination of siamenoside I and mogroside III-E such that siamenoside I is between 70 wt% and 90% of total mogrosides in the composition and mogroside III-E is between 5 wt% and 20 wt% of the total mogrosides in the composition and include at least at least 0.5 wt%, at least 0.75 wt%, or at least 1.0 wt% total steviol glycosides. The composition may include a combination of siamenoside I and mogroside III-E such that siamenoside I is between 70 wt% and 90% of total mogrosides in the composition and mogroside III-E is between 5 wt% and 20 wt% of the total mogrosides in the composition and include at least at least 0.5 wt%, at least 0.75 wt%, or at least 1.0 wt% total steviol glycosides, w ith a weight ratio of total steviol glycosides to totalmogrosides between 0. 1 : 1 to 5: 1 and is soluble for at least 1 day at 23 °C. The composition may include a combination of siamenoside I and mogroside III-E such that siamenoside I is between 70 wt% and 90% of total mogrosides in the composition and mogroside III-E is between 5 wt% and 20 wt% of the total mogrosides in the composition and include at least at least 0.5 wt%, at least 0.75 wt%, or at least 1.0 wt% total steviol glycosides, with a weight ratio of total steviol glycosides to total mogrosides between 0.1 :1 and 3: 1 and is soluble for at least 2 days at 23 °C. The composition may include a combination of siamenoside I and mogroside III-E such that siamenoside I is between 70 wt% and 90% of total mogrosides in the composition and mogroside III-E is between 5 wt% and 20 wt% of the total mogrosides in the composition and include at least at least 0.5 wt%, at least 0.75 wt%, or at least 1.0 wt% total steviol glycosides, with a weight ratio of total steviol glycosides to total mogrosides between 0.1: 1 and 1.5: 1 and is soluble for at least 3 days at 23 °C. The composition may include a combination of siamenoside I and mogroside III- E such that siamenoside I is between 70 wt% and 90% of total mogrosides in the composition and mogroside III-E is between 5 wt% and 20 wt% of the total mogrosides in the composition and include at least at least 0.5 wt%, at least 0.75 wt%, or at least 1.0 wt% total steviol glycosides, with a weight ratio of total steviol glycosides to total mogrosides between 0.1 : 1 and 0.75: 1 and is soluble for at least 4 days at 23 °C.Methods

[0045] The present disclosure further provides a method for increasing the sol ubili ty of one or more steviol glycosides. The method includes adding one or more steviol glycosides and at least one of siamenoside I, mogroside V, mogroside II-E, and mogroside III-E to an aqueous solution to form a steviol glycoside composition. The solubility of the steviol glycoside composition is higher than when the steviol glycoside composition is added to an aqueous solution without the mogroside(s). The steviol glycoside may be added to the aqueous solution such that the weight ratio of total steviol glycoside to total mogroside is between 0.1 : 1 to 10: 1, between 0.1:5:1, between 0.5: 1 to 5: 1, or any other ratio or range of ratios recited herein. The added steviol glycoside(s) may include rebaudioside A (Reb A), rebaudioside B (Reb B), rebaudioside C (Reb C), rebaudioside D (Reb D), rebaudioside J (Reb J), rebaudioside M (Reb M), rebaudioside N (Reb N), rebaudioside O (Reb O), or combinations of two or more thereof. The added steviol glycosides may include at least 85 wt%, at least 88 wt%, at least 90 wt%, at least 92 wt%, at least 95 wt%, or at least 98 wt% of a combination of Reb D and Reb M. The added steviol glycoside(s) may be added at a concentration of at least 0.5 wt%, at least 0.75 wt%, or at least 1.0 wt% totalsteviol glycosides. The added steviol glycoside(s) may be added at a concentration of between 0.5 wt% and 10 wt%, between 0.75 wt% and 7.5 wt%, or between 1.0 wt% and 5 wt% total steviol glycosides.Additional Components

[0050] In addition to the one or more steviol glycoside(s) and siamenoside I and / or mogroside V, the steviol glycoside composition may additionally include, emulsifiers, flavorings, one or more additional sweeteners, or combinations thereof.

[0051] In some embodiments, the sweetener composition also contains one or more additional non-steviol glycoside sweetener compounds. The sweetener composition may include only noncaloric sweeteners. A ‘’non-caloric sweetener” is a sweetener that has no calories or does not add calories to the composition to which they are added due to their low usage levels, but have a higher intensity of sweetness per gram than sucrose. Alternatively, the sweetener composition may include a combination of non-caloric and caloric sweeteners. The additional non-steviol glycoside sweetener compounds can be any type of sweetener, for example, a sweetener obtained from a plant or plant product, or a physically or chemically modified sweetener obtained from a plant, or a synthetic sweetener. Exemplary non-steviol glycoside sweeteners that may be included in the sweetener composition include sucrose, fructose, glucose, erythritol, maltitol, lactitol, sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, tagatose, trehalose, galactose, rhamnose, cyclodextrin (e.g., a-cyclodextrin, [3- cyclodextrin, and y-cyclodextrin), ribulose, threose, arabinose, xylose, lyxose, allose, altrose, mannose, idose, lactose, maltose, invert sugar, isotrehalose, neotrehalose, palatinose or isomaltulose. erythrose, deoxyribose, gulose. idose, talose. erythrulose, xylulose, psicose, turanose, cellobiose, glucosamine, mannosamine, fucose, fuculose, glucuronic acid, gluconic acid, glucono-lactone, abequose, galactosamine, xylo-oligosaccharides (xylotriose, xylobiose and the like), gentio-oligosaccharides (gentiobiose, gentiotriose, gentiotetraose and the like), galactooligosaccharides, sorbose, ketotriose (dehydroxyacetone), aldotriose (glyceraldehyde), nigero- oligosaccharides, fructooligosaccharides (kestose. nystose and the like), maltotetraose, maltotriol, tetrasaccharides, mannan-oligosaccharides, malto-oligosaccharides (maltotriose, maltotetraose, maltopentaose, maltohexaose, maltoheptaose and the like), dextrins, lactulose, melibiose, raffinose, rhamnose, ribose, sucralose, isomerized liquid sugars such as high fructose com / starch syrup (HFCS / HFSS) (e.g., HFCS55. HFCS42, or HFCS90). coupling sugars, soybean oligosaccharides, glucose syrup, and combinations thereof. Either D- or L-configurations or both can be used when applicable. Non-steviol glycoside sweeteners and aspects thereof are alsodescribed in PCT International Publication Nos. WO 2019 / 071220 and WO 2019 / 071182 and in US Patent Application Publication Nos. 2019 / 0223481 and 2019 / 0223483, each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety7.

[0052] In various embodiments, the steviol glycoside composition may further optionally include additional additives. In some embodiments the steviol glycoside composition contains one or more additives including carbohydrates, polyols, amino acids and their corresponding salts, poly- amino acids and their corresponding salts, sugar acids and their corresponding salts, nucleotides, organic acids, inorganic acids, organic salts including organic acid salts and organic base salts, inorganic salts, bitter compounds, flavorants and flavoring ingredients, astringent compounds, proteins or protein hydrolysates, surfactants, emulsifiers, weighing agents, gums, antioxidants, colorants, flavonoids, alcohols, polymers or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the additives act to improve the temporal and flavor profile of the sweetener to provide a steviol glycoside composition with a favorable taste, such as a taste similar to sucrose. Examples of such ingredients and aspects thereof are described, for example, in PCT International Publication Nos. WO 2019 / 071220 and WO 2019 / 071182 and in US Patent Application Publication Nos. 2019 / 0223481 and 2019 / 0223483, each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.Food Products

[0053] The steviol glycoside composition may be incorporated in or used to prepare any know n edible material or other composition intended to be ingested and / or contacted w ith the mouth of a human or animal, such as, for example, pharmaceutical compositions, supplement compositions (e.g., gummy, tablet, etc.), edible gel mixes and compositions, dental and oral hygiene compositions, foodstuffs (e.g., confections, condiments, chewing gum, cereal compositions, baked goods, baking goods, cooking adjuvants, dairy7products, and tabletop steviol glycoside compositions), and beverage products (e.g., beverages, beverage mixes, beverage concentrates, etc.). Examples of such compositions and aspects thereof are set forth in PCT International Publication Nos. WO 2019 / 071220 and WO 2019 / 071 182 and in US Patent Application Publication Nos. 2019 / 0223481 and 2019 / 0223483, each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

[0054] The steviol glycoside composition may be a beverage product or can be used to prepare a beverage product. As used herein a “beverage product” may be a ready-to-drink beverage, a beverage concentrate, a beverage syrup, frozen beverage, a powdered beverage, or the like.Suitable ready-to-drink beverages include carbonated and non-carbonated beverages. Carbonated beverages include, but are not limited to, enhanced sparkling beverages, cola, lemon-lime flavored sparkling beverage, orange flavored sparkling beverage, grape flavored sparkling beverage, strawberry flavored sparkling beverage, pineapple flavored sparkling beverage, ginger- ale, soft drinks and root beer. Non-carbonated beverages include, but are not limited to fruit juice, fruit- flavored juice, juice drinks, nectars, vegetable juice, vegetable-flavored juice, sports drinks, energy drinks, enhanced water drinks, enhanced water with vitamins, near water drinks (e.g., water with natural or synthetic flavorants), coconut water, tea type drinks (e.g. black tea, green tea, red tea. oolong tea), coffee, cocoa drink, beverage containing milk components (e.g. milk beverages, coffee containing milk components, cafe au lait, milk tea, fruit milk beverages), beverages containing cereal extracts, smoothies and combinations thereof. Examples of frozen beverages include, but are not limited to, icees, frozen cocktails, daiquiris, pina coladas, margaritas, milk shakes, frozen coffees, frozen lemonades, granitas, and slushees. Beverages may be alcoholic (e.g.. a liqueur or cream liqueur) or non-alcoholic beverages. The beverage may be a brewed for fermented beverage, for example, beer or kombucha. Beverage concentrates and beverage syrups can be prepared with an initial volume of liquid matrix (e.g., water) and the desired beverage ingredients. Full strength beverages are then prepared by adding further volumes of water. Powdered beverages are prepared by dry-mixing all of the beverage ingredients in the absence of a liquid matrix. Full strength beverages are then prepared by adding the full volume of water, liquid matrix, or aqueous solution.

[0055] The steviol glycoside composition can be a food product or can be used to prepare a food product. The food product may be any caloric or non-caloric food product suitable for human consumption. Suitable food products include, but are not limited to, confectionary products (e.g., candies, candied nuts, candy bars, caramels, chocolates, chocolate bars, chocolate drops, chocolate in the form of hollow figures or any desired shape, filled chocolate bars, pralines, truffles, cereal bars, chewing gum, and pastillage), condiments, chewing gum, cereal compositions, baked goods, bakery products (e.g.. breads such as bagels, buns, rolls, biscuits and loaf breads; cookies; brownies; muffins; desserts such as cakes, cheesecakes and pies; snack cakes; sweet goods such as doughnuts, Danish pastries, sweet rolls, cinnamon rolls, and coffee cakes), cooking adjuvants, dairy products (e.g., ice cream, yogurt, chilled desserts, pudding, mousse, custard, milk shakes, malts, cream cheeses, cheeses, fudge), dairy-alternatives, frozen desserts (e.g., ice cream, sorbet, frozen yoghurt, and the like), tabletop steviol glycoside compositions, seasoning, sauces, gravies, soups, dressings, snack products (e.g., granola bars, nutrition bars, and the like), and the like. Thecompositions described herein may be used in food products in any form, such as melted or mixed into the recipe of the end product, in the form of a filling, inclusions, toppings, or coatings, molded around other discrete ingredients such as nuts, fruit, dried fruit, biscuits, candy pieces or shapes, combinations thereof, and the like. In frozen dessert compositions, the composition may be used as a coating, inclusion (chunks, flakes, or ripples), topping, or core (soft or solid).

[0056] The present invention can be better understood by reference to the following examples which are offered by way of illustration. The present invention is not limited to the examples given herein.EXAMPLES

[0057] The invention is further described in detail by reference to the following experimental examples. These examples are provided for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to be limiting unless otherwise specified. Thus, the invention should in no way be construed as being limited to the following examples, but rather should be construed to encompass any and all variations which become evident as a result of the teaching provided herein.Materials and Methods

[0058] Table 2 lists the contents and sources of various components used in the Examples.Table 2.

[0059] Mogroside V (“Mog V”) used in Example 1 the following examples was obtained from Chromadex and further purified via Cl 8 reverse phase solid phase extraction (SPE) to remove high salt content of the commercial material.

[0060] The high siamenoside I blend (“Siamenoside I Blend”) used in the following examples was produced by engineering a mogroside pathway into the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. The strainwas fermented and the siamenoside I was purified from the fermentation broth through a series of downstream process unit operations (absorbance chromatography, ion exchange, etc.) resulting in a dried powder. The dried powder contained 78.5 wt% siamenoside I, 12.0 wt% mogroside III-E, and 9.5 wt% other mogrosides.

[0061] Solubility Analysis Method: Unless otherwise indicated the following method was used a assess solubility. Solubility samples were prepared by placing the powdered mogrosides into a new, clean vial. The weight was recorded, and the vial was tared. Then the powdered steviol glycosides were added to the vial and the weight was recorded. Water was added and the cap was placed on the vial and closed tightly. The vial was placed in an 80 C oven for 30 minutes with vortex mixing every 10 minutes. The vials were removed from the oven and allowed to cool to room temperature. They were monitored several times each day by inverting and swirling the solution to look for visible crystal formation.’'Example 1 - Steviol Glycoside Compositions with Mogroside V

[0062] Various concentrations of the Reb D and Reb M blend designated OPS were mixed with various concentrations of mogroside V (“mog V”) as outlined in Table 3 below, in a citrate / phosphoric acid buffered solution at pH 3. FIG. 3 shows a photo of the solutions from Table 3 after 14 days of storage at about 23 °C (room temperature). A ratio of mog V to steviol glycoside between 1 : 1 and 2: 1 was effective to enhance the solubility of the OPS solution. In the solution of 3% OPS with 3% mogroside V, the amount of crystallization observed is still less than 2% OPS in water alone. Therefore, in the 3%:3% solution the majority of the OPS is still in solution.Table 3.Example 2 - Steviol Glycoside Compositions with Siamenoside I Blend

[0063] Various concentrations of the Reb D and Reb M blend designated OPS were mixed with various concentrations of mogroside blend as outlined in Table 4 below, and solubility was analyzed using the Solubility Analysis Method.Table 4.Example 3 - Steviol Glycoside Compositions with Mogroside V

[0064] Various concentrations of the Reb D and Reb M blend designated OPS were mixed with various concentrations of mogroside V as outlined in Table 5 below, and solubility was analyzed using the Solubility Analysis Method.Table 5.Example 4 - Steviol Glycoside Compositions with Mogroside III-E

[0065] Various concentrations of the Reb D and Reb M blend designated OPS were mixed with various concentrations of mogroside III-E as outlined in Table 6 below, and solubility' was analyzed using the Solubility' Analysis Method.Table 6.Example 5 - Steviol Glycoside Compositions with Mogroside II-E

[0066] Various concentrations of the Reb D and Reb M blend designated OPS were mixed with various concentrations of mogroside II-E as outlined in Table 7 below, and solubility was analyzed using the Solubility Analysis Method.Table 7.Example 6 - Steviol Glycoside Compositions with Siamenoside I

[0067] Various concentrations of the Reb D and Reb M blend designated OPS were mixed with various concentrations of siamenoside I as outlined in Table 8 below, and solubility was analyzed using the Solubility' Analysis Method.Table 8.Example 7 - Stability Study

[0068] Samples outlines in Examples 2-6 were stored for 1 month at room temperature (about 23 °C). After 1 month, samples were centrifuged at 10,000 x g to remove the cry stallized material, and the soluble fraction was analyzed by HPLC-UV to determine remaining dissolved mogrosides and dissolved steviol glycosides. Results are shown in Table 9 and FIGS. 6-8. Sample numbering refers to the same samples outlined above in Examples 2-6.

[0069] The results show some evaporation in the samples over the 1 -month storage period (e.g., sample 5.6, where the dissolved amount of both steviol glycosides and dissolved mogrosides is higher than the amount added). However, the results do show the improved solubility of the steviol glycosides over their natural limits during steady state for the conditions with higher addition of mogrosides. The horizontal solid line in FIG. 7 demonstrates this improvement.Table 9.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. An aqueous steviol glycoside solution comprising: one or more steviol glycosides; and a mogroside selected from the group consisting of siamenoside I, mogroside V, mogroside III-E, mogroside II-E, and combinations thereof; wherein the ratio by weight of total steviol glycosides to total mogrosides is between 0.1 : 1 and 5: 1 or 0.5: 1 and 4: 1.

2. The aqueous steviol glycoside composition of claim 1, wherein solubility of the one or more steviol glycosides in the aqueous solution is higher than solubility in an equivalent aqueous solution lacking the mogroside.

3. The aqueous solution of any preceding claim, wherein the steviol glycoside comprises one or more of rebaudioside A, rebaudioside B, rebaudioside C, rebaudioside D, rebaudioside J, rebaudioside M, rebaudioside N. and rebaudioside O.

4. The aqueous solution of any preceding claim, wherein the steviol glycoside comprises rebaudioside D and rebaudioside M.

5. The aqueous solution of any preceding claim, where the total steviol glycosides comprise 50 wt% to 90 wt% rebaudioside M and 1 wt% to 25 wt% rebaudioside D6. The aqueous solution of any preceding claim, wherein total steviol glycosides comprise less than 5 wt% rebaudioside A, less than 5 wt% rebaudioside B, and / or less than 5 wt% stevioside.

7. The aqueous solution of any preceding claim, wherein the aqueous solution comprises at least 0.25%, at least 0.5 wt%, at least 0.75%, at least 1.0 wt%, at least 1.5 wt%, at least 2.0 wt% or at least 2.5 wt% steviol glycosides.

8. The aqueous solution of any preceding claim, wherein the mogroside comprises siamenoside I and mogroside III-E.

9. The aqueous solution of any preceding claim, wherein total mogrosides comprise at least 75% siamenoside I.

10. The aqueous solution of any preceding claim, wherein total mogroside comprises 5 wt% to 20 wt% mogroside III-E.1 1. The aqueous solution of any one of claims 4-10, wherein the ratio by weight of total st eviol glycosides to total mogrosides is between 0.1 : 1 and 1 : 1 and the aqueous solution is soluble for at least 3 days when stored at 23 °C.

12. The aqueous steviol glycoside composition of any one of claims 1-7, wherein the mogroside comprises a mogrol core and 4 or more glycosides, e g., mogroside V, siamenoside I, or combinations thereof.

13. The aqueous solution of claim 12. wherein total mogrosides comprises at least 95 wt% mogroside V.

14. The aqueous solution of any one of claims 12-13, wherein the ratio by weight of total steviol glycoside to total mogroside is between 0.1 : 1 and 5: 1 and the aqueous solution is soluble for at least 1 day when stored at 23 °C.

15. The aqueous solution of any one of claims 12-13, wherein the aqueous solution is acidic, the ratio by weight of total steviol glycosides to total mogrosides is between 0.5: 1 and 1 : 1, and the solution is soluble for at least 14 days at 23 °C.

16. A beverage comprising the aqueous solution of any one of claims 1-15.

17. A method for improving steviol glycoside solubility in an aqueous solution, the method comprisingadding to an aqueous solution one or more steviol glycosides and a mogroside selected from the group consisting of siamenoside I, mogroside V, mogroside III-E, mogroside II-E, and combinations thereof, whereby an aqueous steviol glycoside solution is formed; wherein solubility of the one or more steviol glycosides in the aqueous steviol glycoside solution is higher than solubility in an equivalent aqueous solution lacking the mogroside.

18. The method of claim 17, following addition, the aqueous solution is stirred until total steviol glycosides and total mogrosides are dissolved.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the solution is stirred at a temperature at or above 50 °C, at or above 60 °C, at or above 70 °C, at or above 75 °C, or at or above 80 °C.

20. The method of any one of claims 17-19, wherein the steviol glycoside comprises one or more of rebaudioside A. rebaudioside B, rebaudioside C, rebaudioside D. rebaudioside J, rebaudioside M, rebaudioside N, and rebaudioside O.

21. The method of any one of claims 17-20, wherein the steviol glycoside comprises rebaudioside D and rebaudioside M.

22. The method of any one of claims 17-21, where the total steviol glycosides comprise 50 wt% to 90 wt% rebaudioside M and 1 wt% to 25 wt% rebaudioside D23. The method of any one of claims 17-22, wherein total steviol glycosides comprise less than 5 wt% rebaudioside A, less than 5 wt% rebaudioside B, and / or less than 5 wt% stevioside.

24. The method of any one of claims 17-23, wherein the aqueous steviol glycoside solution comprises at least 0.25%, at least 0.5 wt%, at least 0.75%, at least 1.0 wt%. at least 1.5 wt%. at least 2.0 wt% or at least 2.5 wt% steviol glycosides.

25. The method of any one of claims 17-24, wherein the mogroside comprises siamenoside I and mogroside III-E.

26. The method of any one of claims 17-25, where in total mogrosides comprises at least 75% siamenoside I.

27. The method of any one of claims 17-26, where in total mogroside comprises 5 wt% to 20 wt% mogroside III-E.

28. The method of any one of claims 21-27, wherein the ratio by weight of total steviol glycosides to total mogrosides is between 0.1: 1 and 1 :1 and the aqueous steviol glycoside solution is soluble for at least 3 days when stored at 23 °C.

29. The method of any one of claims 17-24, wherein the mogroside comprises mogroside V.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein total mogrosides comprises at least 95 wt% mogroside V.

31. The method of any one of claims 28-30, wherein the ratio by weight of total steviol glycoside to total mogroside is between 0.1 : 1 and 5:1 and the aqueous solution is soluble for at least 1 day when stored at 23 °C.

32. The method of any one of claims 28-30, wherein the aqueous steviol glycoside solution is acidic, the ratio by weight of total steviol glycosides to total mogrosides is between 0.5: 1 and 1 : 1, and the solution is soluble for at least 14 days at 23 °C.

33. Use of a mogroside selected from the group consisting of siamenoside I, mogroside V, mogroside III-E, mogroside II-E, and combinations thereof to increase solubility of one or more steviol glycosides.

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