aluates Reports
0
USD
Stevia Rebaudiana is a special plant species that belongs to the sunflower family and is commonly known by the name of candy leaf and sugar leaf. The plant is native to the regions of Brazil, which favour a wet and humid environment. The plant is grown widely for its sweet leaves, which later become the source of sweeting products such as Stevia, and is being sold under different brand names. It remains to be seen if it is actually safe for use or not.
A substitute for sugar, stevia happens to be almost 100 to 300 times more sweet than your ordinary table sugar. However, it does not contain any of the carbohydrates, calories or artificial ingredients that sugar normally contains.
Not all people like the way that stevia tastes, mainly because many people find it bitter in flavour, while others feel like stevia tastes like mint. The best way to try and see if you might like the flavour of stevia, is to take it along with your morning tea. It will give you a fair idea about the flavour of stevia.
Stevia products which are found on grocery store shelves, like Truvia and Stevia in the Raw, do not usually contain whole stevia leaf. They are made from a highly refined type of stevia leaf extract which is called rebaudioside A (Reb-A). Most stevia products contain a very small percentage of stevia in them. It is a known fact that Reb A is almost 200 times more sweeter than ordinary table sugar.
Sweeteners which are made with Reb-A are considered as “novel sweeteners” mainly because they are blended with different type of sweeteners, like erythritol (a type of sugar alcohol) and dextrose (another form of glucose).
Like any plant, even Stevia consists of several chemicals, which contribute to the properties that are unique to Stevia. However, it is the addition of extra chemicals in the natural occurring plant that arouses the interest of many.
Mostly, for sweetening purposes in foods, the Steviol Glycosides are extracted, the main ones being, Rebaudioside & Stevioside. There is also a small amount of essential oils present in those plants or leaves that may be extracted for other purposes.
What are the extra Ingredients found in Stevia?
Stevia acts as a perfect sugar substitute and can be used by a great number of people, who for some reason, do not find the use of natural sugar appealing for them. However, it is worthy to note that your usual stevia, which appears to emerge from a natural source, might contain some ingredients, which you are completely unaware about.
Naturally, stevia has earned a great reputation as a sweetening substitute, mainly because of its properties, which make it plant derived, calorie free, and devoid of a glycemic load. If the use of Stevia makes you interested in using it, you should make it a point to check the ingredients on the label of the product that you consume. There are some brands, and in fact, even the ones which advertise themselves as pure or natural and selling their product only in a packaging featuring green colour, which in fact, contain other artificial sweeteners, fillers, and flavouring substances which may surprise you.
Take for example, any of the local drugstore marketed stevia products. Some of them contain Dextrose, which is another name for glucose insulin, which is a sweet fibre, erythritrol, which is a non alcoholic form of sugar alcohol, cellulose powder, which is a fine wood pulp of plant fibre, with unknown natural flavouring and lactose, which is usually found in milk, to which some people are even intolerant.
Did you know that it involves a complete process cycle of six steps to convert the original leaf into a form of sweetener? Well, let us take you through the entire process and throw light on the actual process which is carried out in the process of stevia extraction.
Dried leaves are collected from various collection sites, where local farm holders deposit them.
These collected leaves are then immersed in warm water to extract the sweet taste from within them, which we know as Steviol Glycosides.
At the next stage, the mixture is filtered out to take out the fibres, salts and the green colour from the mixture. Mechanical filters are used to remove the undissolved parts as well. The dissolved salts and various other ions are also separated on the basis of their unique molecular charge in specific large columns which are filled with charged particles, which attract the ions that need to be removed from the extracted liquid. A column with charged particles is chosen which attracts the sweet molecules from the leaves. As the other solutes make their run through the last column, the food grade ethanol is poured over the steviol glycosides, which then causes them to release and get mixed with the ethanol in the mixture. This process intensifies the concentration of steviol glycosides as all impurities and contaminates that would have affected the taste are removed at this stage.
During the concentration step, most of the ethanol is preserved for re use later on. The temperature is increased under low pressure setting so that ethanol can evaporate efficiently.
The concentrated resulting mixture of steviol glycoside and ethanol is dried in a large tower. This method is usually called spray drying and operates by spraying the liquid into the tower at the same time as warm, clean air gets blown into the tower. The liquid then dries down quickly and then crystallises into steviol glycosides, which drops down to the bottom of the spray dryer, which is where it is collected. At this stage, the process is deemed complete.
In order to give different tastes to the stevia, the extracts are re crystallised to change the concentration of the level of steviol glycosides. For this, it is mixed in water and ethanol. The final resulting product is composed of pure crystals of steviol glycoside which are ready for use as a sweetener by the food and beverage industry.
All extracts of Stevia are industrially produced and marketed under different brand names by Rebiana, Truvia, and PureVia.
Why Stevia was Banned in US?
Were you aware that at one point of time, Stevia was completely banned for use in the United States and could only be consumed for dietary purposes? It took an immense load of effort from various soft drink companies to make specific compounds of the stevia plant legal once again in the form of food additives.
As of 2017, high-purity stevia glycosides are considered safe and allowable as ingredients in food products sold in the United States.
However, before this ruling, several detention orders were passed, holding the use of Stevia in food products. It was on 2008 when the FDA gave a no objection approval status to Truvia and PureVia to make use of Reb A, calling them a form of purified product. As of 2015, the FDA continued to regard stevia as a non approved form of food additive.
As per some of the strong studies which have been carried out in the recent past, there are some vital benefits that Stevia can impart upon regular consumption. Take a look at some of these benefits.
Weight loss: Stevia has effects which are in stark contrast to natural sugar. It allows people to add sweetness to their food, without adding the harmful effects of carbohydrates and calories.
Regulates blood sugar: In some studies, it has been found that stevia has been shown to decrease the insulin levels after consumption of food. This has the potential effect of regulating healthy blood sugar levels in people who have high insulin, and could also possibly improve the glucose tolerance capacity. Thus, it can be said that stevia may help the body resist higher amounts of insulin.
Eliminates Lyme disease: Stevia has shown vital difference in eliminating the spirochetes bacteria which are associated with Lyme Disease. Not only have this research revealed that stevia might help the body get rid of these spirochetes, it is also believed that Stevia potentially prevents the body from contracting the bacteria in the first place.
As per common believed, stevia has been found to be an excellent replacement for the common natural occurring form of sugar which is most commonly found in every household. However, it might contain substances, which some people might be intolerant to. Hence, it is important to go through a test before beginning to consume the product or any substitute which might claim to contain stevia. It is to be noted that the product came to be banned by the FDA for some particular reason but perhaps came to be accepted as a non harmful form of food additive any way. Until proven otherwise or decreed as harmful by the authorities, we cannot arrive at any solid conclusion about its effects.
