Properties of stevia

Stevia is a natural sweetener extract form the Stevia rebaudiana plant. A number of different structures are present but generally they are diterpenoid glycosides. 

Several of these glycosides have the property of intense sweetness. Stevia contains a molecule know as stevioside that is three hundred times sweeter than sugar and has an excellent safety profile.

Stevia rebaudiana has long been sued bu indigenous peoples for sweetening drinks and was the chosen sweetener for coffee and tea in Paraguay and southern Brazil long before sugar became popular.

Stevia is used around the world for its incredible sweetening properties. Purified stevia extracts have along history of use as sweeteners in some countries whereas regulatory approval of sterol glycosides in Europe, the USA Australia, and New Zealand has been relatively recent.

Stevia is a natural sweetener with no aftertaste. It is non fattening and full of many needed vitamins an minerals. Recipes call for 2 tablespoons of the powder to substitute for 1 cup of sugar.

The major sweet components of sterol glycoside preparations are stevioside and rebaudioside A. Other sterol glycosides include rebaudioside B, rebaudioside C, rebaudioside D, rebaudioside E, dulcoside A, rubusoside and steviolbioside, which are generally present at levels lower than stevioside or rebaudioside.
Properties of stevia

Stevia in softdrink

The herb Stevia rebaudiana has been used for centuries by the Guarani Indians of Paraguay. It is commonly known in South America as yerba dulce meaning sweet herb.

The green leaves of this plant contain large amounts up to 5% of dry weight of stevioside, a sweeter estimated to be 300 times as sweet as table sugar.

Stevia extracts are generally shelf stable. In carbonated beverages, there is no reported degradation over 5 months at 22 °C or lower.

Japan started using stevia commercially by 1970s. In Japan, stevia used commercially in soft drinks, for example in Coca-Cola. It also used in foods such as candy, juices, frozen desserts, low calorie foods and baked goods. Stevia even added to chewing gum.

Stevia is completely free of calories and carbohydrates, plus it’s zero on the glycemic index, which means that it will not spike the blood sugar the way white refined sugar does.

FDA has not approved the use of stevia as a sweetener in United States. It is legally available in the United States but only in its limited form as a dietary supplement.

Stevia is the perfect sweetener for people with diabetes or hypoglycemia because it does not cause blood glucose levels to fluctuate. Stevia has along history of safe and therapeutic use as an herbal sweetener and as an antifungal, anti inflammatory and antibiotic agent.
Stevia in softdrink