STEVIA - The Wonder Herb

WHAT IS STEVIA:  Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is a native of Paraguay (a South American country), commonly known as sweet leaf, sugar leaf, or simply Stevia. This is widely grown for its sweet leaves.  The main productive part of the plant is its leaves.  Stevia leaves are 30 times sweeter than normal sugar.  The sugar form of stevia is around 300-400 times sweeter than normal sugar.  The sweetness of stevia also felt for longer duration wherein regular sugar sweetness fades away within seconds.  A leaf picked from a stevia plant directly and chewed will give an extremely sweet taste sensation reminiscent of licorice that lasts for quite a while.

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION:  There are two main compounds in stevia leaves (1) stevioside (10%-20%) and (2) rebaudioside-A (1-3%) which contribute for sweetness in addition to others steviol glycosides.  The stevioside is stable at 100 °C this is main advantage of stevioside unlike other artificial sweeteners. 

USES OF STEVIA:  Stevia is available in many forms.  The choice is totally dependent on the amount of sweetness required for the purpose.  The fresh leaves are least sweet and the extracted white powder is the sweetest as shown below in the order of least sweet to sweetest.

Stevia Dry Leaves è Stevia Dry Leaf Powder è Stevia Liquid Concentrate è Stevia Sugar

Stevia is in use in soft drinks, confectionery, bakery, etc. in many parts of the world.  Stevia prevents tooth decay with its microbial property.  There is no increase in sugar level after consumption of stevia as sweetener as substitute of normal sugar.  Majority of the supplementary food products for diabetic patients emphasize on the fibre and protein content.  Addition of Stevia leaves or stevia powder in such products would serve the purpose of natural sweetness and would also help in rejuvenating the pancreatic gland. 

v  Natural sweetener with zero calories, hence regulates blood pressure.

v  Induces Pancreas to produce more insulin, helping in diabetes treatment.

v  Being used as a weight loss aid as it contains zero calories.

v  Fights dental cavities and tooth decay.

v  Anti-bactericidal, anti-fungal, anti-viral properties – kills bacteria, fungus, viruses and reduces inflammation.

DRIED LEAVES & DRY LEAF POWDER:  For more of the flavor and sweet constituents of the stevia leaf to be released, drying and crushing is necessary.  A dried leaf is considerably sweeter than a fresh one, and is the form of stevia used in brewing herbal tea.  It has a greenish color and can be used in a wide variety of products like foods and beverages, coffee, tea, and any other regular product to enhance its sweetness or taste.  You also can use it to make an herbal tea blend.

STEVIA SUGAR:  This is the white crystalline powdered form of stevia that is obtained after going through a specific process in stevia processing plant.  In this sugar form it is approximately 200 to 300 times sweeter than cane sugar (by weight).  This white powder is an extract of the sweet glycosides in the stevia leaf.  The quality, taste, sweetness and cost of the various white stevia powders will likely depend on their degree of refinement and the quality of the stevia herbs used.

LIQUID CONCENTRATES:  It is a syrupy black liquid (that results from boiling the leaves in water), which can enhance the flavor of many foods.  Another type is made by steeping stevia leaves in distilled water or a mix of water and grain alcohol.

US FDA & WHO Approved:  Use of extracts of stevia Rebaudioside-A was approved as food additive.  It is approved by FDA of United States Government, WHO (World Health Organisation) and recently UK Government and also Government of India as food additive.

Watch out this space for a complete list of STEVIA APPROVALS and STEVIA's SAFETY in coming articles.

SCOPE:  Stevia opens up new avenues for crop diversification and a sustainable agriculture and an alternative to age old cultural crops to Indian farmers thereby helping avoid farmer suicides.

Stevia is in use in soft drinks, foods and beverages industry, confectionery and bakery industry, etc.  It can be a complete substitute for sugar-toothed Indians who cannot enjoy the sweetness of cane sugar because of calorie constraints and diabetes.

MARKET:  Today stevia is fast becoming the King of the world sweetener market as demand of low carbohydrate and NATURAL sweetener is increasing day by day and the demand is bound to increase in the coming few years.

A good market is being developed for stevia in India but due to lack of knowledge sharing and accuracy and reliability of the available data, Indian farmers are lagging behind to cash on this great opportunity.

Today Stevia rebaudiana extract accounts for 40% of the sweetener market in Eastern Block countries such as Japan, Korea and Malaysia.  China is the world's largest producer of stevia in the world market.  Today in India, it is being cultivated in places like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, etc.  It is being cultivated in very few places compared to the scope that it can be cultivated in due to its geographic advantages over China.  Government of India (under National Horticulture Board) is providing 20% subsidy for stevia cultivation.

Watch out this space for more on LIST OF STEVIA APPROVALS, HOW TO GROW STEVIA IN INDIA, STEVIA's SAFETY, STEVIA MARKET SCOPE in coming articles.