History of Stevia

Stevia is at the forefront of plant-based sweeteners. This high intensity sweetener is an obvious contender for replacing sugar and artificial sweeteners. Despite this, stevia’s rise to the top of the natural sweetener chain was anything but smooth. For one, stevia is not a single component—the term refers to compounds found within the stevia leaf. More than 10 different sweet steviol glycosides can be found within the stevia leaf. Rebaudioside A (Reb A) is the best known. Steviol (aglycone), Stevioside, Dulcoside A, Rubusoside, Rebaudioside B, D, E, and F follow. Science continues to not only discover new compounds, but more importantly to food scientists, identify their potential as a sweetener. At Icon Foods, our dedicated R&D team has worked to create a line of ideal stevia sweeteners that can fit a variety of formula needs. Our food scientists are available for formulation and reformulation inquiries.

Highlights

• Stevia has been used as a sugar substitute across the globe for hundreds of years, but the use of steviol glycosides did not reach GRAS status with the FDA until 2008.
• One species of stevia—Rebaudiana, commonly known as candyleaf, sweetleaf, or sugarleaf—has no aftertaste. Now, almost all stevia products are derived from that type of plant.
• Stevia Rebaudiana is a South American plant, native to Paraguay—traditional uses date back more than 200 years.

Uses and Best Practices

Icon Foods' SteviaSweet steviol glycoside formulas can be used by food and beverage manufacturers as an ingredient in diet sodas, light or low-sugar juices, flavored waters, canned fruits, condiments, ice cream, flavored milk, and yogurt—both dairy and plant based. The SteviaSweet product line can also be used effectively in baked goods, cereals, chocolate, syrups, and confections. This line works to provide a balanced sweetness profile when used in tandem with low intensity sweeteners such as erythritol and allulose. For a complete formula, we recommend adding resistant digestive fibers in the form of FOS, soluble tapioca fiber, or inulin. This will provide body while increasing mouthfeel and texture.

• This natural sweetening solution is produced through water extraction and temperature induced spray-drying. No chemical solvents are used during extraction or recrystallization.

Solubility

The solubility of Icon Foods' SteviaSweet portfolio in water has been measured and found to be just less than 1.0% (w/v). Given the potencies of the various steviol glycosides, individual solubilities do not limit their use.

Stability

Research has demonstrated the stability of the SteviaSweet portfolio under room temperature and neutral pH. Icon Foods' SteviaSweet steviol glycosides can be used under pH conditions ranging from 2 to 10, and at temperatures of up to 120 °C/248°F with complete stability.