Stevia rebaudiana

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Stevia rebaudiana
Stevia rebaudiana flowers.jpg
Stevia rebaudiana flowers
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Stevia
Species:
S. rebaudiana
Binomial name
Stevia rebaudiana

Stevia rebaudiana is a plant species in the genus Stevia of the family Asteraceae. It is commonly known as candyleaf, sweetleaf or sugarleaf. [1] [2]

Contents

It is a small seasonal plant which grows to a height of 30–60 centimetres (1–2 feet). [2] It has elongated leaves that grow along the stems and are lined up against each other. The flowers are typically trimmed to improve the taste of the leaves. [3] Stevia is a tender perennial native to parts of Brazil and Paraguay having humid, wet environments. [2] [3]

Stevia is widely grown for its leaves, from which extracts can be manufactured as sweetener products known generically as stevia and sold under various trade names. [4] The chemical compounds that produce its sweetness are various steviol glycosides (mainly stevioside and rebaudioside), which have 200–300 times the sweetness of sugar. [2] [5] Stevia leaves contain 9.1% stevioside and 3.8% rebaudioside A. [6]

Stevia rebaudiana Stevia-rebaudiana-total.JPG
Stevia rebaudiana

Description

The flowers are white with light purple accents and no fragrance. Plants produce fruit which is ribbed spindle-shaped. Stevia prefers sandy-like soil. [2] [ citation needed ]

Chemistry

In 1931, chemists M. Bridel and R. Lavielle isolated the glycosides stevioside and rebaudioside that give the leaves their sweet taste. [7] The exact structures of the aglycone steviol and its glycoside were published in 1955.

Cultivation

Begun in the 1960s, [4] commercial cultivation has spread to Japan, Southeast Asia and the US, but also in mildly tropical climates in hilly areas of Nepal or India (Assam region). The plant prefers warm, moist and sunny conditions. [2] The plant cannot survive frost during the winter and therefore greenhouses are used to grow stevia in Europe. [8]

Stevia rebaudiana is found in the wild in semiarid habitats ranging from grassland to mountain terrain, do produce seeds, but only a small percentage of the seeds germinate.

Stevia rebaudiana has been grown on an experimental basis in Ontario, Canada, since 1987 to determine the feasibility of commercial cultivation. [9] Duke University researchers developed a strategic plan to assist farmers and exporters in Paraguay to compete in the global market for stevia. [10]

Uses

Stevia rebaudiana has been used over centuries by the Guaraní people of Brazil and Paraguay, who called it kaʼa heʼẽ ("sweet herb"), to sweeten the local yerba mate tea, as medicine, and as a "sweet treat". [11]

In 1899, botanist Moisés Santiago Bertoni first described the plant as growing in eastern Paraguay, and observed its sweet taste. [12]

When extracts of its leaves are processed into a powder, stevia is used as a sugar substitute in most of the developed world. [6] [13]

Based on the JECFA (Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives) declaration, safe consumption of steviol glycosides for humans is determined to be 4 mg/kg body weight per day. It was also agreed by the European Commission in 2011 for use in food in European countries. Steviol glycosides have also been accepted in the US as generally recognized as safe (GRAS).

Stevia leaf and raw extracts are not treated as GRAS and their import into the US is not allowed for usage as sweeteners. [14] [15]

Related Research Articles

Stevia Sweetener and sugar substitute

Stevia is a natural sweetener and sugar substitute derived from the leaves of the plant species Stevia rebaudiana, native to Brazil and Paraguay.

Sugar substitute Sugarless food additive intended to provide a sweet taste

A sugar substitute is a food additive that provides a sweet taste like that of sugar while containing significantly less food energy than sugar-based sweeteners, making it a zero-calorie or low-calorie sweetener. Artificial sweeteners may be derived through manufacturing of plant extracts or processed by chemical synthesis. Sugar substitute products are commercially available in various forms, such as small pills, powders, and packets.

Neohesperidin dihydrochalcone Chemical compound

Neohesperidin dihydrochalcone, sometimes abbreviated to neohesperidin DC or simply NHDC, is an artificial sweetener derived from citrus.

Dietdrinks or light drinks are sugar-free, artificially sweetened versions of carbonated beverages with few or no calories. They are generally marketed toward health-conscious people, diabetics, athletes, and other people who want to lose weight, improve physical fitness, or reduce their sugar intake.

Stevioside Chemical compound

Stevioside is a glycoside derived from the stevia plant, which can be used as a sweetener. Evidence of benefit is lacking for long-term effects on weight loss and heart disease risks.

<i>Gymnema sylvestre</i> Species of flowering plant

Gymnema sylvestre is a perennial woody vine native to Asia, Africa and Australia. It has been used in Ayurvedic medicine. Common names include gymnema, Australian cowplant, and Periploca of the woods, and the Hindi term gurmar, which means "sugar destroyer".

Brazzein

Brazzein is a sweet-tasting protein extracted from the West African fruit of the climbing plant Oubli. It was first isolated by the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1994.

<i>Siraitia grosvenorii</i> Sweet plant fruit extract

Siraitia grosvenorii, also known as monkfruit or luohan guo, is a herbaceous perennial vine of the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It is native to southern China and northern Thailand. The plant is cultivated for its fruit extract, called mogrosides, which creates a sweetness sensation 250 times stronger than sucrose. Mogroside extract has been used as a low-calorie sweetener for drinks and in traditional Chinese medicine.

Steviol glycoside

Steviol glycosides are the chemical compounds responsible for the sweet taste of the leaves of the South American plant Stevia rebaudiana (Asteraceae) and the main ingredients of many sweeteners marketed under the generic name stevia and several trade names. They also occur in the related species S. phlebophylla and in the plant Rubus chingii (Rosaceae).

Steviol Chemical compound

Steviol is a diterpene first isolated from the plant Stevia rebaudiana in 1931. Its chemical structure was not fully elucidated until 1960.

Rebiana is the trade name for high-purity rebaudioside A, a steviol glycoside that is 200 times as sweet as sugar. It is derived from stevia leaves by steeping them in water and purifying the resultant extract to obtain the rebaudioside A. The Coca-Cola Company filed patents on rebiana, and in 2007 it licensed the rights to the patents for food products to Cargill; Coca-Cola retained the exclusive rights to use the patents for beverage products. Truvia and PureVia are each made from rebiana and were each recognized as GRAS food ingredients by the US FDA in 2008.

Ziziphin Chemical compound

Ziziphin, a triterpene glycoside which exhibits taste-modifying properties, has been isolated from the leaves of Ziziphus jujuba (Rhamnaceae).

<i>Pentadiplandra</i> Genus of flowering plants

Pentadiplandra brazzeana is an evergreen shrub or liana that is the only species assigned to the genus Pentadiplandra, and has been placed in a family of its own called Pentadiplandraceae. It produces large red berries, sometimes mottled with grey. It is known from West-Central Tropical Africa, between northern Angola, eastern Nigeria and western Democratic Republic of Congo. The berry is sweet in taste due to the protein, brazzein, which is substantially sweeter than saccharose. Brazzein may be useful as a low-calorie sweetener, but is not yet allowed as a food additive in the United States and the European Union.

Moisés Santiago Bertoni Swiss naturalist

Mosè Giacomo Bertoni, known in Spanish as Moisés Santiago Bertoni, was an Italian-speaking Swiss naturalist. He emigrated to South America in 1884 and lived in Paraguay from 1887 until he died in 1929.

Rebaudioside A Chemical compound

Rebaudioside A is a steviol glycoside from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana that is 240 times sweeter than sugar. Rebaudioside A is the sweetest and most stable steviol glycoside, and is less bitter than stevioside. Stevia leaves contain 9.1% stevioside and 3.8% rebaudioside A.

PureCircle

PureCircle is a producer and innovator in the area of stevia sweeteners for the food and beverage industry. PureCircle has offices around the world, with the headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange. PureCircle was ranked 17th on FoodTalks' Top 50 Global Sweetener Companies list in 2021.

<i>Stevia</i> (genus) Family of shrubs

Stevia is a genus of about 240 species of herbs and shrubs in the family Asteraceae, native to subtropical and tropical regions from western North America to South America.

Paraguay is one of the main countries where Stevia rebaudiana or kaʼa heʼẽ (Guarani) is cultivated. In 2014 an area of 2,300 hectares was devoted to this crop, producing 3,680 tonnes, according to estimates of the National Directorate of Censuses and Statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. The Paraguayan departments that produce the greatest yield are San Pedro, Caaguazú, Itapúa and Alto Paraná.

Stevia World Agrotech Pvt Ltd is an agrotechnology company specializing in the growing and processing of stevia leaves, headquartered in Bangalore, India. The company primarily focuses on growing and processing stevia at relatively low costs, adhering to high environmental standards using good agricultural practices. Stevia World provides services to farmers for contract-based farming.

References

  1. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Stevia rebaudiana". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Stevia rebaudiana". Missouri Botanical Garden. 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  3. 1 2 Petruzzello, Melissa (12 December 2017). "stevia | Description, Plant, & Sweetener". Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  4. 1 2 Katie Jennings (3 July 2014). "Here's What The Stevia Sweetener Really Is – And Why Some People Think It Tastes Bad". Business Insider. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  5. Abdullateef, Raji Akintunde; Osman, Mohamad (1 January 2012). "Studies on effects of pruning on vegetative traits in Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni (Compositae)". International Journal of Biology. 4 (1). doi: 10.5539/ijb.v4n1p146 .
  6. 1 2 Goyal, S. K.; Samsher, null; Goyal, R. K. (February 2010). "Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) a bio-sweetener: a review". International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. 61 (1): 1–10. doi:10.3109/09637480903193049. ISSN   1465-3478. PMID   19961353. S2CID   24564964.
  7. Bridel, M.; Lavielle, R. (1931). "Sur le principe sucre des feuilles de kaa-he-e (stevia rebaundiana B)". Comptes rendus de l'Académie des sciences (Parts 192): 1123–5.
  8. Ramesh, K.; Singh, Virendra; Megeji, Nima W. (1 January 2006), "Cultivation of Stevia [Stevia rebaudiana (Bert.) Bertoni]: A Comprehensive Review", Advances in Agronomy Volume 89, Advances in Agronomy, vol. 89, Academic Press, pp. 137–177, doi:10.1016/s0065-2113(05)89003-0, ISBN   9780120008070
  9. Todd J (2010). "The Cultivation of Stevia, "Nature's Sweetener"". Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  10. Bamber, P; Fernandez-Stark, K (2012). "Strengthening the competitiveness of the stevia value chain in Paraguay" (PDF). Duke University Center on Globalization, Governance and Competitiveness. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  11. Misra, H.; Soni, M.; Silawat, N.; Mehta, D.; Mehta, B. K.; Jain, D. C. (April 2011). "Antidiabetic activity of medium-polar extract from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana Bert. (Bertoni) on alloxan-induced diabetic rats". J Pharm Bioallied Sci. 3 (2): 242–8. doi:10.4103/0975-7406.80779. PMC   3103919 . PMID   21687353.
  12. Bertoni, Moisés Santiago (1899). Revista de Agronomia de l'Assomption. 1: 35.{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. Jones, Georgia (September 2006). "Stevia". NebGuide: University of Nebraska–Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 4 May 2007.
  14. Nutrition, Center for Food Safety and Applied (9 February 2019). "Additional Information about High-Intensity Sweeteners Permitted for Use in Food in the United States". FDA.
  15. "Import Alert 45-06". accessdata.fda.gov. Retrieved 23 November 2019.