Stevia First Corp. Develops Formulations Platform With 'AI Scientist' Program

SACRAMENTO, CA--(Marketwired - Nov 12, 2014) - Stevia First Corp. (OTCQB: STVF) ("Stevia First" or the "Company"), an agricultural biotechnology company based in California's Central Valley growing region and focused on the industrial scale production of stevia, the all-natural zero-calorie sweetener that is rapidly transforming the food and beverage industry, is pleased to announce its development of a stevia formulations platform as part of its "AI Scientist" program, alongside plans to commercialize and make available the resulting novel preparations to its growing customer base.

The Company has previously initiated development of a generalized artificial intelligence platform that holds the potential to solve diverse challenges across multiple industries, but with particular emphasis on life sciences research. Stevia First's interdisciplinary R&D team, which consists of full-time staff and a network of consultants, is leveraging this software platform in its current efforts in the stevia sector and is targeting a number of high value product applications.

Product formulations for beverages include multiple ingredients across differing concentrations, each with numerous factors that must rank acceptably in terms of safety, cost, taste, solubility, consumer preference, and patentability. It is a complex challenge to solve for all variables simultaneously, and to develop winning product formulations, the key is an ability to rapidly adapt to changing consumer preferences. Stevia First will provide access to its proprietary formulations platform for customers faced with these degrees of complexity, as the system offers a powerful capability to leverage existing research while also addressing the constant need for change. As such, the technology is ideal for manufacturers seeking to increase their investment in stevia usage especially in response to the ongoing marked trend towards reduced sugary beverage consumption. 

Robert Brooke, the Company's CEO, states, "We're using algorithms that have been proven effective within life sciences research in order to deliver value for our stevia customers, and to help grow the overall market for stevia. This is a low-hanging fruit application for our 'AI Scientist' program that can quickly realize value, and that can become much more powerful as we add new datasets and functionality over time."

About Stevia First Corp. (OTCQB: STVF)
Stevia First Corp. is an agricultural biotechnology company that has developed expertise for the production of stevia using fermentation and for improvement of traditional stevia farming and processing methods. The Company is also applying breakthrough technologies in software and the life sciences to develop product applications far beyond stevia and the food and beverage industry. For more information visit: www.steviafirst.com and connect with the Company on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Google+. 

About the Stevia Industry
The market for all-natural, zero-calorie stevia sweeteners is expanding rapidly. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates stevia intake could eventually replace 20-30% of all dietary sweeteners. The total global sweetener market was estimated at $58.3 billion in 2010. For more information visit: www.steviafirst.com. 

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in Section 27(a) of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, projections of worldwide sales of stevia products, growth of stevia production and global markets. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with new projects and development stage companies. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.