Stevia

The natural sweetener, alternative to saccharose and artificial sweeteners. Its high sweetening power and its cero calories make it a suitable complement for foods, in diabetic problems and in weight loss diets.

This plant, known as stevia, is widely used nowadays. Japanese, Americans and many other consumers are using this plant as an alternative sweetener in diabetic problems and in weight loss diets, thanks to its absence of calories.

Steve plant:

Stevia plants grow normally between 40 to 60 cm, it flourishes in august and September. Stevia plants are cultivated nowadays in Peru, Argentine, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and in some other countries. Its flowers are white; its root grows near the surface. Stevia leaves have between 30 to 45 times sacharose’s sweetening power.
Stevia leaves are dried to be pulverized, taking off the nerves of the leaves to eliminate its bitterness. It can be then used as a sweetening powder or in liquid form.

Stevia History

Stevia has been known for centuries as a sweet plant by the Guaraní tribes of Paraguay and Brazil. They used Stevia, called ka'a he'ê ("sweet herb"), for its several benefits, including its use as a sweetener and for medical purposes.
In 1931 the French chemists Bridel and Lavieille extracted from the leaves of this plant a white and crystalline element which they named “stevioside”, having 300 times more sweetening power than normal cane sugar. In 1952, a group of American scientists confirmed that this element (stevioside) is the most sweetening element ever known.
Stevia is a completely safe plant without any side-effects. It has been used as food for centuries in Amazonian countries and in extracts to sweeten food in Japan for more than 25 years.
Nowadays, stevia is used almost everywhere in the world to produce foods, drinks and desserts low in calories and adapted for diabetics.


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