Stevioside (E960)

Chemical formula – C12 H19 O8 Cl3

The physical form is a white crystalline powder.

The sweetness coefficient is 100-450

Stevia Rebaudiana is a small shrub growing in the northeastern part of Paraguay and adjacent areas of Brazil. Although the local Guarani Indians have been using the leaves of this herb as a sweetener since pre-Columbian times, a naturalist scientist from Paraguay named Antonio Bertoni first "discovered" it in 1889.

The complex of sweet substances of stevia consists of eight components that differ from each other both in the degree of sweetness and in the quantitative content in the leaves. By chemical structure, sweet stevia substances are tetra-cyclic diterpene glycosides.

The sweetest of them is rebaudioside A (degree of sweetness 350-450). The dry leaves of stevia contain about 3% rebaudioside. Unlike stevioside, it is more soluble in water, and its unpleasant aftertaste is less intense than that of stevioside. Stevia herb in its natural form is about 10-15 times sweeter than regular sugar. Stevia extracts in the form of steviosides are a white crystalline hygroscopic powder with a melting point of 196-198° C, easily soluble in water, resistant to high temperature.Steviosides can exceed regular sugar in sweetness in the range of 100 to 450 times. And, what is most remarkable, according to most experts, stevia does not affect the metabolism of sugar in the blood. The fact of low toxicity and safety of stevioside is very important. In the body, stevioside and rebaudio-zid A are metabolized into steviol, which is excreted from the body.

Stevioside:
-Easily dissolves in water-based and alcohol-based products;
-Has high stability in acidic solutions (pH 3-9);
-It is not absorbed by microorganisms, which prolongs the shelf life of products, especially dairy;
-Withstands temperatures up to 198°C;
-Does not collapse in the light;
-Preserves sweetness in all production processes;
-Does not lose its taste qualities during storage and withstands standard storage conditions, the shelf life is at least 5 years;
-Enhances the natural aroma of fruits, fruits, berries, tea, coffee.
-Disadvantage – has a specific taste that disappears in combination with other sweeteners.