nutrition

Stevia - Sweetener

Stevia, stevioside and steviol glycosides

Stevia ( Stevia Rebaudiana subsp. Bertoni, Asteraceae family) is a small shrub native to the border area between Brazil and Paraguay, where it is known as ka'ha he'e (sweet grass or honey herb). Of course, the appellation is not at all random, since Stevia is rich in sweet components, with a sweetening power that can exceed even 300 times the sweetness of sucrose.

After the discovery of Stevia, dated 1887, by the Swiss naturalist Mosè Santiago Bertoni, it was necessary to wait until 1931 for the characterization of the sweetening substances present in the leaves. These are mainly steviol glycosides, called Stevioside, Rebaudioside (A, B, D, E) and Dulcoside (A and B). Steviol is obtained from the degradation of these sweet glycosides; for example, the stevioside molecule is formed by the union of a steviol molecule with three glucose molecules, while in rebaudioside A there are four glucose molecules.

Stevia glycosides are quite stable to heat and pH, do not ferment, do not caramelize when cooked and have good solubility in water, methyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol. Furthermore, they are also safe for people with phenylketonuria.

Main glycosides contained in Stevia tissues:

  • 5–10% stevioside (sweetening power 250–300 times higher than sucrose);
  • 2–4% rebaudioside A (sweetening power 350–400 times greater than sucrose; appreciated for the lower bitter-licorice aftertaste compared to other steviol glycosides);
  • 1–2% rebaudioside C;
  • 0.5 –1% dulcoside A.

The aforementioned quantities vary according to the cultivars and the growth environment of Stevia, including seasonal variations.

In addition to the high sweetening glycosides (see table), Stevia is rich in iron, manganese and cobalt; it is caffeine-free and naturally also contains carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals. To the use of the drug in full, the popular tradition, and some scientific evidences, attribute different properties: antacid, antibacterial, slightly laxative (for osmotic action), hypotensive and hypoglycemic.

Beyond the high sweetening power, a fundamental characteristic of Stevia is that the glycosides it contains are not absorbed and as such have no significant effect on glycemic levels. At the intestinal level, however, colon bacteria can degrade stevioside to steviol, which is readily absorbed by the enteric wall, inactivated by the liver and immediately excreted in the urine. Due to the presence of a study, dated 1985, which highlighted a possible and never confirmed mutagenic capacity of steviol at high doses, Stevia and its derivatives have known a rather troubled legislative process. While the absolute safety of rebaudioside A seems certain, some doubts remain about the possible genotoxicity of stevioside and steviol taken at high doses; most studies, however, agree on the absolute safety of these sweeteners, among other things empirically enveloped by the centuries-old tradition of using Stevia as a sweetener for foods, including maté (in areas where Stevia consumption is more widespread) and derivatives, there is no increase in the incidence of tumor forms in any way attributable to steviol and stevioside).

Along with the numerous evidences on the total harmlessness of Stevia, various researches attribute to this plant different beneficial effects. In fact, in addition to boasting practically zero caloric and cariogenic power, Stevia not only does not affect blood glucose values, but even seems to decrease them (hypoglycemic properties), improving glucose tolerance. This effect seems to be attributable to a direct action of stevioside and rebaudioside A on pancreatic beta cells, where in the presence of glucose it would stimulate the production of insulin. The fact that Stevia and its glycosides stimulate the production of insulin only when the blood sugar is abnormally high is rather advantageous, since it prevents the risk of hypoglycemia in diabetic patients.

In addition to being a particularly interesting sweetener in diabetes, stevia is useful as a zero-calorie sweetener in diets designed to promote weight loss.

Finally, the alleged hypotensive effect of Stevia (still awaiting unambiguous confirmation) and its glycosides, seems to be linked to the inhibition of the passage of Ca ++ from the extracellular space to the cytosol.

Stevia online

Online you can buy a kg of 100% natural Stevia, a high-quality, crystalline, calorie-free sugar substitute that can replace 1: 1 traditional refined sugar added to foods and beverages. Only steviol glycosides (a white crystalline powder extracted from the leaves of the stevia plant) are used for this product at a Reb-A content of over 97%, and erythritol (a 100% natural sweetener) from controlled cultivation. The product has no bitter aftertaste.

For sale on Amazon

Alternatively, Stevia Pura in Powder is available, with a strong sweetening power: the tip of a teaspoon is enough to sweeten an entire cup of coffee, milk or herbal tea. And it can also be used as a substitute for sugar (but with the advantage of having zero calories compared to 392 kcal per 100 g of sucrose) to prepare desserts and dishes. The aftertaste of licorice, typical of stevia, is barely mentioned. Even when opened, the product, packaged in a practical jar, has a good shelf life.

For sale online

Integral Cake for Diabetics With Stevia - without Sugar

A sweet rich in fiber and without sugar, ideal (with due moderation) also in the diet of the diabetic in place of traditional desserts. The flavor of the cake is negatively affected by the aftertaste of licorice of stevia, considered by many to be disgusting; it can be remedied by replacing or cutting stevia with other natural sweeteners, such as erythritol.

Whole lemon cake - cake for diabetics with stevia

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Legislation - Stevia in Foods

Like the vast majority of alternative sweeteners to sugar, despite its natural origins, stevia has also been subject to criticism regarding a possible carcinogenic effect of some of its components, such as steviol and stevioside.

At the beginning of 2009 the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), a sovereign body in the United States for the regulation of food and pharmaceutical products, considered Rebiana (a rebaudioside-based sweetener A) "generally recognized as safe", approving the marketed as a food additive. Rebiana still represents the main ingredient of Truvia, developed by the multinationals Coca-Cola and Cargill, and consists of rebaudioside A, erythritol and natural flavoring. This product is already populating in the United States, where it currently covers about 10% of the sugar substitute sweetener market; in this flourishing market, other similar products derived from Stevia based on rebaudioside A have also been introduced, such as the Purevia developed from pepsi.

In September 2011 the use of Stevia and its derivatives was accepted by the European Union, therefore also in Italy, although with some reservations, which substantially limit its use to low-calorie and / or no-added-sugar food products (the presence of of steviol glycosides can also be indicated on the label by the abbreviation E960 ). A few months earlier, EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) had expressed a positive opinion on the safety of Stevia glycosides, establishing an ADI (or ADI) for each of them. In particular, the group set an admissible daily dose of 4 mg / kg body weight / day for steviol glycosides, a level consistent with that already defined by the joint FAO / WHO expert committee on food additives (JECFA) in 2006. However, these limits seem to be easily overcome, especially in children, in the case of heavy consumption of foods rich in steviol glycosides, in particular flavored soft drinks. Also according to EFSA data, registered in January 2011, for European children (aged between 1 and 14). exposure would range from 1.7 to 16.3 mg / kg bw / day, while for adults the revised exposure estimates range from 5.6 to 6.8 mg / kg bw / day.



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