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Steviosides
Steviosides
[ SYNONYMS ] : Stevia rebaudianum Bertoni.
[ SPECIFICATION: ] :
Apperance:White powder
Content:90%min
Sweetness:250 max
Specific optical roatation:-30 - -38
Specific absorbance:0.05 max
Ash:0.1% max
Moisture:4% max
Melting point:198-202c
PH:4.5-5.5
Mesh side:80-100 mesh
Bulk density:0.2-0.3
Solubility:0.35g/ml-0.4g/ml
Heavy Metals(pb):0.0001% max
Arsenic:0.0001% max
Microbial index:100/g max
[ PACKING ] : in paper-drum and two plastic-bags inside.Net weight:25kgs/drum
[ USES & STORAGE ] : Store in a well-closed container away from moisture.
2 years if sealed and store away from direct light.
The Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni, as this variety is known, is a perennial plant of the Compositae family. It is native of the highlands of central southeast South America covering portions of Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. Currently it is cultivated throughout the world.
In Paraguay and Brazil Stevia has been used for centuries as a traditional medicine for diabetics and also as a source of sweetness.
Steviosides is a term used to describe the active principles (glycosides) present primarily in the leaves of the plant that produces its distinctive highly intensive sweetness.
Erythritol is an all-natural low calorie bulk agent, developed in Europe to help in the formulation of various products. It is a natural crystal granulated filler from fruits and vegetables. Unlike other fillers, it is easily digested, dissolves quickly, is safe for diabetics, promotes healthy teeth, and has a caloric value near zero (0.2kcal/g) per serving. It naturally has no carbohydrates, a high digestive tolerance, is rapidly and easily absorbed by the small intestine, does not affect blood glucose and insulin levels, and is non-Cariogenic.
Uses of Steviosides in Foods
There are more than 100 products in the Brazilian market containing the stevia extracts. Some of these products are:
Table-top sweeteners
Beverages
Ice Cream
Yogurts
Breakfast cereal
Teas
Coffee
Chewing Gum
Orange juice
Chocolate drinks
Products containing stevia in Japan include:
Pickles
Sea foods
Vegetables
Confectionary products
Soft drinks
Teas
Taste of Stevia
How does the taste of Stevita Stevia compare to other sweeteners?
The steviosides in their pure forms have a characteristic clean, intensive sweet taste with a mild herbal after-taste. When blended with other products, however, it exhibits synergistic effects and often enhances the flavor of the other products.
Spoonable Stevia- can be used in baking, beverages, cereals and other foods. Erithritol is added as flowing agent. Very comparable taste to sugar.
Ingredients: Erythritol (flowing agent), Stevia Extract and Silicon Dioxide (anti-caking agent).
Stevia Supreme - can be used in baking, beverages, cereals and other foods. May have a slightly bitter taste. Ingredients: Stevia Extract and Erythritol.
Ultimate Stevia- The pure glycosides extract from the stevia plant. Contains no fillers. Has a slight bitter taste.
Clear Liquid - A unique patented process starting with pure organic stevia leaves. The stevia extracts are then directly extracted from the leaves. (Not from concentrate.) The result is the purest, best tasting liquid ever. Other ingredients: pure water with grapefruit seed extract.
Safety of Stevia
There are more than 200 scientific papers covering the safety aspects of the stevia products. According to some of the critics of stevia, the findings in some of these papers raise concern about the safety of this plant. The following text is a review of these issues, the conclusions of which support that stevia and stevia extracts are safe for human consumption.
The acute and sub-acute toxicity of steviosides has been extensively investigated. In one particular study, the steviosides have been tested for acute, sub-acute and chronic toxicity test in rodents, over a period of 22 months with male rats and 24 months with female rats. (Ako Yamada et al). This extensive investigation revealed no significant dose-related changes in the growth, general appearance, hematological and blood biochemical findings, organ weights and macroscopic and microscopic observations as the result of feeding these rats with steviosides up to 1% of their daily food intake for up to two years.
It has been claimed that the stevia leaves or its products are used as contraceptive. The fact that the rural inhabitants of the stevia growing areas of Brazil and Paraguay, who are the heaviest drinkers of Terere and Chimarrao teas (up to 10 cups per day) and have the largest average family sizes, does not support the contraceptive suggestion.
Furthermore, three studies with rats, by different researchers, showed no effect on the reproductive capacity of the rats when they were fed daily doses of steviosides. Prof. Mauro Alvarez, a renowned scientist and author of several published studies on the safety of stevia, found flaws on these studies. He concludes by saying that the use of stevia or its extracts for contraception is pure folk lore.
Stevia extracts have been extensively tested for their mutagenic activity. By using various strains of Salmonella typhimurium or E. coli either in the presence or absence of activating systems, one or more of these substances have been reported as non-mutagenic in laboratory tests in Brazil, Japan and the United States.
Scientific studies have been carried out in the several major safety categories. These studies show no dose-related abnormalities that are significant from a safety standpoint and thus are supportive of the safety of stevia for human consumption reinforced by the safety data accumulated during all these years of usage by humans.
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