Stevia Reb A, Stevia Rebaudioside,the species Stevia rebaudiana, native to Paraguay and commonly known as sweetleaf, sugarleaf, or simply stevia, is widely grown for its sweet leaves.
It is a white to off-white, hygroscopic fine crystal or powder, having a sweet taste.It is freely soluble in ethanol/water, 50/50 (v/v), sparingly soluble in water and sparingly soluble in ethanol.
It is the extract from the Stevia leaf, and can be used as a general sweetener in foods. It is a non-calorie natural sweetener that is approximately 300-400 times sweeter than Sucrose.
An extract of the stevia plant, Rebaudioside A (“Reb A”) is a natural sweetener and sugar substitute, Stevia’s taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar, although some of its extracts may have a bitter or licorice-like aftertaste at high concentrations.
With its steviol glycoside extracts having up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, Stevia has garnered attention with the rise in demand for low-carbohydrate, low-sugar food alternatives. Medical research has also shown possible benefits of Stevia in treating obesity and high blood pressure.
Because Stevia has a negligible effect on blood glucose, it is attractive as a natural sweetener to people on carbohydrate-controlled diets.
