Stevia rebaudiana is a plant native to Paraguay that provides sweetness with minimal dietary caloric value. This sweet herb has been used for hundreds of years by the tribes in Paraguay. Discovery of its sweet properties increased the desire to use in sweetening foods to reduce the sugar content. Currently, stevia rebaudiana is used in Japan as a non-calorie sweetener. In the United States, it was recently released as an alternative sweetener.
Uses
In Japan, the herb has been used exclusively for 30 years as a sweetener. In 2008, the FDA granted stevia rebaudiana the Generally Recognized as Safe status and allowed it to be used in foods. Before the GRAS status, stevia was only available in the United States as a dietary supplement.
Taste
Stevia is 150 times sweeter than regular sugar and is made of different components that taste like sugar. Stevioside, rebaudiosides and dulcoside are the main compounds that affect the sweetness of stevia extract, according to medicinal herb expert, A. Douglas Kinghorn of Ohio State University. Each imparts a special flavoring; rebaudioside has the mildest and sweetest taste and is commonly used as a product sweetener. During extraction, stevioside is harvested in the greatest quantity, but it also has the potential to be toxic, which isn't fully understood, according to food chemists, H.-D. Belitz, W. Grosch and P. Schieberle. This is the primary reason that stevioside isn't used as a non-calorie sweetener. Rebaudioside imparts a pleasant sweet taste, but it is combined with other non-calorie sweeteners because the sweetness it imparts isn't particularly strong or concentrated.
Toxicology
Stevioside is the sweetest component of the stevia plant. It imparts sweetness 150 to 300 times sweeter than sugar. Currently, stevioside isn't used as a non-calorie sweetener because animal testing is showing mixed results with toxicity. D.J. Brusick, in a study evaluating the toxicity of stevioside, found no toxicity in high doses and no threat to humans.
Disease Management
Stevia rebaudiana has been used for medicinal purposes and tested for efficacy in treating certain conditions and diseases, according to Agricare. Stevia extracts have been used to lower blood pressure levels and managing high blood pressure condition called hypertension. In South America, stevia has been used to treat high blood glucose levels, and possibly be beneficial in treating diabetes. More human studies are needed before the herbal sweetener can be used a therapy option for certain diseases.
Member Comments