Basic introduction to Stevia rebaudiana extract

Stevioside is extracted by soaking the dried leaves of stevia in water, filtering to separate the liquid from the leaves and stems, and further purifying with water or food-grade alcohol - a completely traditional plant extraction method. The result is steviol glycosides, an all-natural and extremely sweet sweetener that does not affect blood sugar levels.

In Japan, high-purity stevia extracts have been approved for use in food and beverages for decades. For the last five years, the world's leading food safety and regulatory bodies have been positive about the use of purified stevia extract in food and beverages and consider stevia extract to be a safe sweetener.

These include the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), the French AN-SES (National Agency for Food, Environment and Labour Hygiene), the Food and Standards Authority of Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and most recently the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

The sweet components in steviol glycosides are all glycosides. A glycoside (glycoside or heteroside) is a compound formed by combining a sugar or a sugar derivative with another non-sugar compound, linked by the end group carbon atom of the sugar. After hydrolysis, glycosides can produce both sugar and non-sugar parts, and the non-sugar part is called glycoside element or ligand, ligand (agly-cone, genin). These eight components are ligands with the same diterpene ligands and are tetracyclic diterpene compounds with a glucose attached to the α-carboxyl group at the C-4 position, followed by a disaccharide or trisaccharide attached to the C-13 position. Among them, Stevioside (Stv for short), which has a locust sugar attached to C-13, and Rebaudioside A (RebA for short), which has a glucose molecule attached to a locust sugar molecule on C-13, are the main ones.

There are six identified sweet components of stevia: stevioside, rebaudioside A, D, C and E, and dulcimer A. They are all glycosides and have the same glycoside element, steviol. The difference between them lies in the number and composition of the sugars bound to the glycoside bonds.

Pre-clinical and clinical studies have shown that the use of stevia extract is safe for the general population including diabetics, children and pregnant women, as well as people with unknown side effects or allergies.

Stevia extract does not contain any calories and is all natural. However, the definition of "natural" and labelling requirements may vary from country to country. Stevia extract is also safe and its safety has been thoroughly reviewed and scientifically proven by many international organisations, including the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee (JECFA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). There have been no side effects or allergies associated with the addition of stevia extract to food and beverages.

Studies have shown that stevia extract does not affect blood sugar levels or interfere with insulin. Stevia extract does not contain any calories, which gives diabetics more flexibility in budgeting their total calorie intake and helps with weight management. Regardless of how stevia extract is consumed, it has no effect on the glycaemic index GI. Stevia extract can also be used in a variety of foods and beverages, individual uses and levels of use may vary depending on the country. When used in combination with other sweeteners, stevia extract can have a synergistic effect.