| ≥1 piece |
Stevia, also known as Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, is a bushy shrub that is part of the sunflower family. There are 150 species of stevia, all native to North and South America.
China is the current leading exporter of stevia products. However, stevia is now produced in many countries. As stevia is 200 to 300 times sweeter than table sugar. It typically requires about 20 percent of the land and far less water to provide the same amount of sweetness as other mainstream sweeteners.
Stevia contains eight glycosides. These are the sweet components isolated and purified from the leaves of stevia. These glycosides include:
stevioside
rebaudiosides A, C, D, E, and F
steviolbioside
dulcoside A
Stevioside and rebaudioside A (reb A) are the most plentiful of these components.
Acccording to US FDA, less than 95% of Total Steviol Glycosides would not be taken as food ingredients according to US FDA, it is used as a dietary supplement only, can not be labelled as sweetener or flavor, even claim as sweetened with stevia or flavored with stevia