What it takes for stevia leaves to go from a farm to your table

This little shrub finds its roots in South America and has been used by the Guarani and the Mato Grosso -Volk since ancient times before the 16th century. These indigenous communities come from Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina and used the plant not only because of their sweetness, but also because of their medical properties.

In 1884 the Swiss botanist Bertoni and the Italian chemist Rebaudi discovered the sweet herb and called the plant Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni, who honor to isolate the sweet connections in the leaves.

Now it is cultivated worldwide, with considerable extensions in countries such as Japan, China and the United States. Countries such as Portugal and Spain have also become prominent in the Stevia cultivation in Europe due to their suitable feelings. The Stevia agriculture in India is a growing trend due to the growing popularity and demand for natural, healthier sweeteners. Stevia’s health advantages also include 0 calories and diabetic friends, and India is the diabetes capital of the world, Stevia becomes an alternative to the supplement of sugar. You will find many sweeteners on the market, some of which are: Sweetify, Magic Leaf, Sugar Free, etc.

In order for stevia to switch from the farm to her table, it has to go through a variety of steps. Steps that ensure that only the best they reach.

Step 1: The extension of Stevia

Stevia is generally grown from seedlings or cuttings. The cuttings are initially kept in greenhouses after a while, only the best are transplanted in the fields. Optimal soil conditions with sufficient sunlight and water are required so that Stevia can thrive. However, the initial conditions like this are not everything, continuous care and maintenance are important. Monitoring of pests and diseases that are the right amount of irrigation and fertilization and more are of great importance.

Step 2: The Harvest of Stevia

The best time for the harvest of Stevia is shortly before flowering or when a white flower appear. During this time, the highest concentration of steviol glycosides in the highest sweetness. The harvest is either manually or mechanically, whereby the point you have to pay attention to does not damage the leaves and treat them carefully.

Step 3: The initial workmanship

The first step after Stevia leaves has been collected is washing to remove the dirt and other contaminants. The washed leaves are then dried – either healthy or with the help of machine dryers. Some conventional methods use air drying or dehydrators to reduce the moisture content. This first step prepares you for further processing.

Step 4: The extraction of Stevia goes

The extraction of steviolglycosides (the compounds responsible for the sweetness of Stevia leaves) begins to push the dried leaves into hot water, similar to the brow of tea. This process pulls the steviol glycosides out of the leaves into the water. Then the liquid extract, also referred to as a “stevia tea”, is filtered for the removal of a fixed particle.

The extended extraction methods include:

• Supercritical CO2 extraction: This technology uses carbon dioxide under high pressure and temperature to selectively extract steviol glycosides without harmful substances
• Alcohol extraction: This technique includes dissolving the liquid extract in alcohol and evaporation to concentrate the steviol glycosides.

Step 5: Cleaning the extract

In this step, the extract is cleaned and crystallized.

Some cleaning methods are:

• Ion exchange chromatography: This technology separates steviolglycosides based on its load properties.
• Activated carbon filtration: This technology eliminates the color and the contamination of the extract.

Recrystallization

In order to achieve high purity values ​​such as 99%, the concentrated extract is generated in such a way that it repeatedly goes through the recrystallization. The reason for this is that each cycle separates different glycosides and we only need the sweetness.

Step 6: The production of the sweetener

This last step is to use the sweetener in different forms such as standalone sweetening agents or in various products such as drinks, backs, sweets and many others.

A step that is a constant in all of these constants is:

Quality control

From steps 1 to 6 to cultivation to product packaging, the quality must be tested and maintained in order to offer consumers the absolutely best and safe experience.

Steviolglycosides were recognized by the US FDA as safe (grass status). However, only steviol glycosides are approved with more than 95% purity. Even entire leaves are not permitted due to inadequate toxicological data.

Today Stevia is a sought -after sugar alternative. Due to its 0-calorie and diabetic-friendly nature, it does not increase blood sugar levels. Diabetics and health -conscious people are particularly like Stevia.

Diploma

After I took all steps, I hope that I was able to simplify Stevia’s trip from the farm to the table for her. Or you have at least an idea about the process. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask you. People come to me regularly and ask about Stevia Plant, Stevia Health Benefits, Stevia Leaf achievements, Stevia agriculture and much more. It helps me just as it helps them. I, my mother and my whole family use it and I believe that it is currently a better sugar substitute than the rest on the market. Let me know what you think and how I can answer your questions better