Stevia is a plant native to South America. Stevia is a member of the sunflower family and its leaves are naturally sweet. In fact, people love to chew its leaves because of their sweet taste and use them as a natural sweetener for beverages.
Stevia leaves contain sweet ingredients called steviol glycosides. To date, scientists have discovered more than 70 steviol glycosides. Each steviol glycoside has its own unique taste and is 200-350 times sweeter than sugar, but without the high calories of sugar.
Stevia has been used as a natural sweetener in food and beverages for hundreds of years, and now scientists have found the scientific basis for it. There are now more than 200 scientific research results that prove the science and safety of high-purity stevia extract as a sweetener for food and beverages.
Today, stevia added to food and beverages is usually high-purity stevia leaf extract, which is a purified form of stevia leaf extract that has been evaluated and approved by major regulatory agencies around the world. Purified stevia leaf extract may contain one steviol glycoside or several different glycosides. Highly purified stevia leaf extract is a zero-calorie, versatile natural sweetener for food and beverages, making it a good choice for consumers and food and beverage manufacturers.
In some countries, crude stevia extract and/or stevia leaf are sold as dietary supplements. However, it is important to note that only highly purified stevia leaf extract has been evaluated and approved by major regulatory agencies around the world for use as a food and beverage ingredient. On this website, we refer to highly purified stevia leaf extract as stevioside.
More and more food and beverage companies are choosing stevia to develop tasty, low-sugar and low-calorie products. With stevia, the sugar content and total calories per serving are reduced. Depending on the country and manufacturer, stevia may be listed on the product ingredient label under different names, such as stevioside, stevia extract, rebaudioside A, rebaudioside M, and steviol glycosides. Stevia is now used in more than 40,000 foods and beverages around the world, including juices, water, soft drinks, flavored milk, yogurt, baked goods, cereals, salad dressings, sauces, desserts and food sweeteners. With zero calories and natural plant ingredients, stevia is an ideal choice for the food and beverage industry.
What is Stevia?
Stevia is a small, leafy plant. Stevia was first discovered in South America more than 200 years ago. The leaves of the stevia plant have a naturally sweet taste. Today, the sweetness of stevia can be extracted and purified into highly purified stevia leaf extract, which is used in foods and beverages around the world.
What is Stevia Leaf Extract?
Stevia leaf extract is a
Plant Extract extracted from the stevia plant. The leaves of the stevia plant are harvested and dried. The sweetness of the plant is then extracted and purified according to regulatory standards. Stevia can be up to 350 times sweeter than sugar. Stevia sweetens foods and beverages without adding any calories.
What makes stevia sweet?
The sweetness of stevia and stevia leaf extract comes from sweet molecules in the stevia leaf, called steviol glycosides. Each steviol glycoside has a different taste and sweetness.
Is stevia natural?
Yes, stevia is a plant. It grows in the soil, requires lots of sunlight and a steady supply of water, and is a valuable crop for farmers. Stevia is processed in a similar way to plant ingredients like sugar or vanilla extract. After processing, the molecules in stevia leaf extract are exactly the same as those in the original stevia leaf.
To date, there is no universal definition of the word "natural" internationally, or in many cases, no definition at all, including in the United States. Stevia sweeteners come from the stevia leaf, so it is best to call them natural sweeteners.
Is stevia safe?
More than 200 studies have proven that highly purified stevia leaf extract is safe for all family members, including pregnant women and people with diabetes. Several major global regulatory organizations have determined that stevia is safe for food. Stevia is approved as a sweetener in major markets around the world, including more than 65 countries.
Is stevia healthy?
Stevia is a non-nutritive sweetener, meaning it does not contribute any calories or nutrients to the diet. However, it is one of the tools in your toolbox for reducing calories in your daily diet without affecting blood sugar or insulin levels. It is also safe for people with diabetes and has been shown to be good for your teeth.
Where does stevia come from?
Stevia is grown primarily in Paraguay, Kenya, Zambia, China, and the United States. Due to increasing consumer demand for stevia, countries such as Vietnam, Brazil, India, Argentina, and Colombia are now also growing stevia plants.
How is stevia made?
To enhance sweetness, we extract and purify steviol glycosides from stevia, a process similar to that used to make other commonly used ingredients, such as sucrose (sugar) from sugar cane or natural vanilla extract from vanilla beans. The extracted and purified sweet ingredients are identical to those originally found in the stevia leaf. This process produces a highly pure stevia leaf extract that complies with global food and beverage ingredient specifications approved by major regulatory agencies.
