Stevia powder – steviol glycosides
IMPORTANT TO KNOW
Stevia powder is available as green leaf powder and as white Stevia extract powder.
Here we explain the differences:
WHITE STEVIA POWDER
pure extract from the leaves of the Stevia plant
GREEN STEVIA POWDER
finely ground Stevia leaves
Stevia is a mixture of substances that is extracted from the plant “Stevia rebaudiana” and used as a sweetener. It consists to a large extent of steviol glycosides such as the diterpene glycoside stevioside or rebaudioside A. In addition to these components, the leaves contain another seven to ten steviol glycosides.
Green Stevia Powder = Ground Stevia Leaves.
White Stevia Powder = Pure Stevia Extract from the Stevia Leaf.
The proportions are distributed differently. Stevioside, for example, accounts for about 10% of the dry mass of the leaves, while rebaudioside A only accounts for about 2 to 10%. However, these proportions vary and depend on the growing region and the plant variety. Further variations can occur as many manufacturers often increase the proportion of rebaudioside A in their products due to the sugar-like taste.
Inferior Stevia often has a liquorice-like, bitter aftertaste. Manufacturers counteract this by isolating the sweet components and then compounding them. As pure rebaudioside A, a Stevia product can have up to 450 times the sweetening power of white household sugar. However, Stevia is not cariogenic and is also suitable for diabetics.
It was only on 2 December 2011 that the European Union approved steviol glycosides as a food additive. Numerous studies by the European Food Safety Authority, (EFSA), have been unable to prove either a carcinogenic effect or genotoxicity from Stevia.
Another requirement for the approval of steviol glycosides was that neither fertility nor the reproductive organs of humans can be damaged by Stevia. The studies were also able to prove this. The approval was applied for by “Morita Kagaku Kogyo K.K.” from Japan, “EUSTAS” (European Stevia Association from Spain) and the American company “Cargill Incorporated” (USA).
Pure Stevia Extract Powder Steviolglycosides / Rebaudioside-A98%.
Pure Stevia Extract Powder Steviolglycosides / Rebaudioside-A60%.
Sweetness of dried Stevia leaves
The sweet components of Stevia leaves were already researched by scientists in 1931. Depending on the plant variety, there are nine to twelve different steviol glycosides. All of them contain steviol or similar kauranes as aglycon.
The sweetest components are rebaudiside A and stevioside. Compared to a 0.4 percent sucrose solution, the two steviol glycosides have 300 to 450 times the sweetening power. Even compared to a four-percent sucrose solution, the sweetening power is still 150-fold and 100-fold for a ten-percent solution.
Other sweet steviol glycosides are dulcoside A, steviol bioside and the rebaudiosides C, D, E and F. In the Stevia variety Creola, stevioside holds a share of six to 18 percent of the ingredients detected in Stevia leaves. For the leaf as a whole, this means about thirty times the sweetening power of household sugar.
Compared to the three other main glycosides in Stevia leaves, rebaudioside A has the best sensory properties. This means that the active ingredient is the sweetest and at the same time the least bitter tasting. However, steviosides that are enzymatically modified, contain almost exclusively rebaudioside and do not produce a bitter taste, but are not approved in Europe or the USA.
Pure Stevia Extract Powder Steviolglycosides / Rebaudioside-A60%.
50g have a sweetening power like ≤15kg sugar.
The mini dosing spoon enables the correct dosing of the pure Stevia Extract.
Sweetness of dried Stevia leaves
The sweetness of Stevia was tested with that of sugar in an audience survey on television. The result: the sweetness was perceived differently in a direct comparison. Some found the taste of Stevia more pleasant, others that of sugar. It can therefore be stated that the taste perception of the two sweeteners depends on the test person. Due to the strong difference in sweetening power, Stevia is not suitable for dishes where sugar is used as a volume. For this, either the recipes have to be adapted or Stevia products with fillers have to be used.
The majority of Stevia products on the market since their approval in December 2011 have a long-lasting, bitter aftertaste. Researchers have found that the glycosides in Stevia leaves activate two bitter taste receptors on the human tongue. For this reason, scientists are trying to find a method to minimise this bitter taste in Stevia products as early as possible. This could involve certain purification processes or breeding measures, for example.
The taste is crucially dependent on the quality of the Stevia raw materials. Not all Stevia is the same! There are many different Stevia raw material specifications with serious price differences. For the production of Stevia products, at least Rebaudioside-A from 60% upwards should be used. More and more often, chemical extraction processes are not used. Manufacturers of high-quality extracts use water extraction or CO2 extraction. The advantage of the CO2 extraction process is that it is gentle, antibacterial, high-yielding and does not require chemicals or heating.
