Stevia rebaudianais a well known medicinal herb contains antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-yeast, cardiotonic diuretic and hypoglycaemic properties. This herb has been used in Ayurveda in India since centuries. Stevia is a perennial herb belonging to the family Asteraceae, is one of the most valuable tropical medicinal plant. Leaves of this plant produce zero calorie, high potency sweetener and substitute to sucrose, being about 300 times sweeter than sucrose. The compounds, named stevioside and rebaudiocide give stevia its taste. In India number of diabetic people in the age group of 25-45 is about 15% and is also increasing at an alarming pace. In addition, India is the largest consumer of sugar in the world. So stevia is attaining attention in Indian market as a healthy alternative sweetener to sugar. Stevia has no calcium cyclamate, no saccharim, no aspartame and no calories. It is safe for diabetics, as it does not affect blood sugar levels and have no neurological or renal side effects.
Stevia consists of 10-12% stevioside, which can be extracted as liquid concentrate that can be used directly in soft drinks, beverages and chocolates etc.
Application in Bakery:
Just 50grms of Stevia leaf can replace 1000grms of cane sugar. Baked and cooked food items can be sweetened with only small quantities of stevia leaf powder as compared to table sugar. Breads made with stevia as an ingredient texture, softness and an increased shelf life.
Application in beverage sector:
Several health drinks and soft drinks have introduced and many food supplementary beverages have developed for diabetics which comprise of stevia sweetener.
Apart from this, stevia is rich in nutrient, containing substantial amounts of proteins, calcium and phosphorus.
Application in Confectionery
The leaves of stevia can be used in chocolates and candies, not only to meet the requirements of diabetic and health conscious consumers and also does not encourage thooth decay. So stevia can be also used for chewing gums, mints mouth refreshers production.
Chemical constituents
A variety of constituents have been isolated from Stevia rebaudiana belonging to Stevioside, rebaudiocide and dulcoside. Stevia consists of Stevioside – a glycoside which is about 190 times sweeter than sucrose. Additionally, other glycosides are rebaudiocide A and rebaudiocide C and dulcoside are present in its leaf tissue.
Which form of Stevia should be taken?
Aleaf picked from a stevia plant and chewed will impart an extremely sweet taste sensation reminiscent of licorice that lasts for quite a while. But for more practical application as sweetener, the leaves must be dried or put through an extraction process, which makes the sweet taste even more potent.
Future view for Stevia
Stevia finds its use as a natural sweetener, hence replacing the chemical sweeteners and even table sugar. It is estimated that about 30 million Indians are presently suffering from diabetes. With such a huge share of population being diabetic, food industry in future will be entirely focused on stevia sweeteners. Stevia is fully plant based, natural sweetener.
In the years to come, the sweet honey leaf herb is likely to become the major source of high potency sweetener.
Conclusion as a PhD Student working on Stevia
With the increasing number of diabetes patients and health conscious individuals the demand for low calorie sweeteners is expected to increase worldwide and hence the need for alternatives to sugar. Hence initiative needs to be undertaken to promote this natural sweetener and create product awareness and ultimately welcome the sweetness of stevia in our day to day life.
Article By,
Neha Sharma, (Ph.D)
Depatment of Biotechnology
Dr Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry
Nauni Solan (HP) 173230
India.
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