The Discovery
Moises Santiago Bertoni (1857-1929), a Swiss botanist, was the first
European to discover the sweet leaf plant, after he and his wife settled
in Paraguay, doing scientific research in 1899. He and his wife’s name
became the scientific name for the species Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni.
His wife, who shared in the discovery, was Eugenia Rossetti Rebaud.
Bertoni discovered that the Paraguayan Guarani natives had been using
the sweet leaves in their yerba mate teas and in their medicinal teas
for hundreds of years.
In 1931, two unnamed French chemists isolated the glycosides that
contain the sweetness in the Stevia leaves and named them Stevioside and
Rebaudioside. These two compounds are 250-300 times sweeter than
sucrose from sugar and are heat stable, pH stable, and non-fermentable.
Begining of the Spread of Stevia:
In 1971, Morita Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd., of Japan, was the first in
the world to commercialize the Stevia sweetener. Since then, Morita has
developed their own “Rebaudio” (rebaudioside) variety. Morita
controls the whole process from cultivation of the Stevia plants to
extraction and refinement of the rebaudiside glycosides. The Japanese
have been using Stevia for over 30 years with no adverse effects. Stevia
is used in Japan to sweeten Coca-Cola, other soft drinks, teas and
food. Japan is the largest consumer of Stevia in the world.
Brazil approved Stevia Rebaudiana products in 1980. China began using
Stevia in 1984. China is the world’s largest exporter of Stevioside.
Stevia has been used in powder and extract form in the United States
(U.S.), since 1995.
Stevia and Antioxidants
Stevia is an
antioxidant. Antioxidants help your body fight off the damage caused by free radicals (and limiting
free radical aging).
Stevia, as with all plants, contains a number of antioxidants. This
puts stevia (assuming it is safe) way ahead of other sweeteners which
contain no such beneficial antioxidants.
In 2006 the World Health Organization declared that stevia is safe.
2008, the FDA issued a “no objection” letter to Rebiana being used as a food additive. Rebiana and other stevia extracts that meet the criteria of extraction mentioned in the FDA documents.
The FDA approved two versions of a new zero-calorie sweetener developed by the Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo.
Cargill,
which is marketing the sweetener Truvia from Coca-Cola, received
notification from the FDA that it had no objection to the product,
calling it “generally recognized as safe.”
PepsiCo said it also had received a similar letter and the same
“generally recognized as safe” designation for its sweetener, PureVia.
Both products use rebiana, an extract from the
stevia plant.
Health Benefits
The Stevia plants are rich in nutrients. These include: protein,
calcium, phosphorous, sodium, magnesium, zinc, rutin, vitamin A, vitamin
C, and others, but has no caloric value.
In 2000, The British journal of Pharmacology prinrted a Chinese study
from Taipei Medical College and affiliated Taipai Wan Fang Hospital on a
double-blind placebo-controlled study of the effectiveness and
tolerablity of oral Stevioside in human hypertension. The report showed
no significant adverse effect and no deterioration of quality of life.
The study concluded that oral Stevioside is an “effective alternaive or
supplementary therapy for hypertension”.
The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) in 2006, performed a thorough
evaluation of the recent studies of Stevioside and Steviols on animals
and humans and concluded that Stevioside and Rebaudioside A are not
toxic and that no evidence of carcinogenic activity was found. The
W.H.O. also noted that Stevioside has a pharmacological effect in
patients with hypertension (lowers elevated blood pressure) and with the
Type 2 diabetes (helps stabilize blood sugar levels).
As of 2008, the governments of Australia, New Zealand and Canada have
approved the use of Stevia as a sweetener and food additive.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s Joint Expert
Committee on Food additives (J.E.C.F.A), in 2008,concluded that Stevia
steviol glycosides are safe for human consumption.
Stevia is also cultivated in Korea, Taiwan, China, and Israel.
In Atlanta, Georgia, Coca-Cola researchers Indra Prakash, John F.
Clos and Grant E. DuBois studied clear glass containers of cola and
lemon-lime sodas containing the two major naturally sweet components in
Stevia, Stevioside and Rebaudioside A. The beverages were exposed to
sunlight for one week to test the stability of the components. The
scientist found no significant photodegration in either component of
Stevia.
Even though Stevia may soon replace sugar in soft drinks, this does
not make soft drinks any healthier. Why? Most, if not all, soft drinks
contain phosphorous. Some soft drinks not only contain phosphorous but
also excessive amounts of caffein. Both caffein and phosphorous strip
calcium from your bones and may result in kidney stones (because the
body cannot reabsorb the stripped calcium) and
eventually causes osteoporosis (brittle bones) which leads to bone
fractures. Better to drink water, tea or fruit juice.
Stevia is the only REAL natural sweetner that offers health benefits
besides its sweetness. It has been proven safe world wide. Even though
Europe has not as yet accepted Stevia as GRAS, more and more countries
around the world are seeing the benefits of using Stevia as a sweetener
and food additive. England, especially, has an obesity problem as big as
the U.S., and could reduce the obesity rate in half just by using
Stevia. The United States (U.S.) can do the same. Using Stevia is a
matter of national defense in preventing an ever growing obese
population. We need a healthy populace to defend the nation. Use Stevia
as your only sugar substitute.
You can collect your Stevia in any form Dry leaves,
Extract, Stevia plant from
Organic innovation
H.no-8, Survey, Brindaban Path, Guwahati-28
Assam
Email: organicinnovation@rediffmail.com
For More Information on Stevia Cultivation
Pankaj kalita: 09854093470, 09085578408
TRAINING DETAIL:-
