What is Stevia?
Stevia also known as sweet leaf or sugar leaf is an herb often used for it's leaves as a suger substitute. [1]
For centuries, the Guaranàtribes of Paraguay and Brazil used Stevia species, primarily S. rebaudiana which they called ka'a he'ê ("sweet herb"), as a sweetener in yerba mate and medicinal teas for treating heartburn and other ailments. The leaves of the stevia plant have 30–45 times the sweetness of sucrose (ordinary table sugar). [1]
The Swiss botanist Moisés Santiago Bertoni first described the plant and the sweet taste in detail. But only limited research was conducted on the topic, until in 1931, two French chemists isolated the glycosides that give stevia its sweet taste. These compounds were named stevioside and rebaudioside, and are 250–300 times sweeter than sucrose, heat stable, pH stable, and non-fermentable. [1]
Source(s) Derived From |
Plant Sources |
Natural or Artificial? |
Natural |
References |
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Aliases (Also Known As) |
Honeyleaf Stevia Stevia Extract Stevia Glycerite Stevia Leaf Stevia Leaf Extract Stevia Powder Stevia Powder Extract Stevia Rebaudiana Stevia Rebaudiana Herbal Extract Stevia Rebaudiana Leaf Extract Color Key - (Click/Tap to View)
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Action | User | Date/Time |
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Ingredient added | UPC Food Search | January 1, 2009 @ 2:14 AM |