Have you heard of a plant with a sweetening power that is 200
times stronger than sugar, but is calorie-free? It is stevia, a
plant/shrub from Latin America with a very promising future. A
plant with sweetening powers Stevia rebaudiana bertoni, better
known as stevia, is a wild plant from the subtropical forest.
Its average height is between 30 and 40 cm, and it owes its
sugary flavor to its leaves, which contain 10% steviol
glycosides, which are sugary compounds. Stevia belongs to the
Asteraceae family. It is most often found on the border between
Paraguay and Brazil. Guaranis Indians who populated this area
were the first to use this plant, which they called "ka'a he'ê"
(sweet grass), as a medicinal plant and tea sweetener. In 1888
the plant was taken outside Latin America by the Italian Dr.
Bertoni, who gave it its name. Stevia is now grown in more than
20 countries throughout the world, including Brazil, China,
Japan, Korea and Thailand. Why is stevia sweet? Four main
steviol glycosides are responsible fo