The Characteristics of Stevia Sugar and Human Health

Stevia sugar is a natural sweetener extracted from the herbaceous plant Stevia rebaudiana. Steviol sugar is a white to slightly yellow crystalline powder or particle with a cool and sweet taste. It is a sweetener approved for use in China's "National Food Safety Standard for the Use of Food Additives" (GB 2760-2014), and the national standard specifies the scope and amount of use of steviol glycosides. Stevia sugar is internationally known as the "third source of sugar in the world" and is the third natural sweetener with great economic value and health functions, after sugarcane and beet sugar. The characteristics of stevia sugar are as follows:

Steviol-glycosides-.jpg

① High sweetness and low calorie content. Stevia sugar has natural low calorific value characteristics and is very close to the taste of sucrose, with a sweetness of 200 to 350 times that of sucrose, and only 1/300 of the calories of sucrose. It can be used as a substitute to reduce calories, and stevia sugar is difficult to be absorbed by the human body and does not participate in metabolism, which is very in line with the pursuit of healthy lifestyles by contemporary people.

② Good stability. Stevia sugar has properties such as heat resistance and anti-corrosion, making it a relatively stable sweetener that helps reduce food viscosity, inhibit bacterial growth, and extend product shelf life.

③ High security. All major international food regulatory agencies (JECFA), such as the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), believe that stevia is safe to consume, including in children and pregnant women. No teratogenicity, mutagenicity, or carcinogenicity, nor does it cause allergies.

Reasonable use of stevia sugar within the specified dosage range not only does it not pose any harm to human health, but also has functions such as lowering blood pressure, blood sugar, and antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. Stevia sugar, as a healthy and safe natural sweetener, can be applied in the food industry.