Is glycosides de stéviol e960 vegan?

"Glycosides de stéviol e960" is the French term for steviol glycosides, an intense sweetener designated in the European Union as food additive E960. These compounds are naturally present in the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant. To manufacture the sweetener, producers steep the dried leaves in hot water, then filter, clarify, and crystallize the extract using water or plant-derived alcohol to isolate the sweet-tasting molecules. Steviol glycosides commonly appear on labels of reduced-sugar beverages, candies, chewing gums, protein bars, and tabletop sweeteners.

This ingredient is classified as vegan because it is derived directly from plant matter and does not involve animal sources. Standard processing methods rely entirely on physical filtration and synthetic or mineral solvents, without animal-derived clarifying agents such as bone char or gelatin. Additionally, forms produced via microbial fermentation utilize yeast cultures grown on plant sugars. Because neither the raw materials nor the processing aids come from animals, foods containing steviol glycosides E960 meet vegan standards.