stevia

Stevia, or Stevia rebaudiana, is a perennial plant in the Asteraceae family native to parts of South America. Its leaves contain steviol glycosides, a group of intensely sweet compounds used as non-nutritive sweeteners. The most abundant glycosides are stevioside and rebaudioside A, with total sweetness up to about 200–400 times that of sucrose. The extracts are heat-stable and often used to sweeten foods and beverages without added calories.

Traditionally, stevia leaves were used by the Guaraní people of Paraguay and neighboring regions as a sweetener and medicine. In the 20th century, researchers isolated stevioside and related glycosides; commercial development flourished in Japan in the 1970s and later spread globally, especially after regulatory approvals in the 1990s–2000s.

Regulatory status: In the United States, refined steviol glycosides are approved as general‑purpose sweeteners; whole leaves and crude extracts are not approved for use as food ingredients. The European Union approved steviol glycosides in 2011, with many other countries establishing similar approvals. The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives sets an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 0–4 mg/kg body weight per day, expressed as steviol equivalents.

Safety and biology: Steviol glycosides are largely not absorbed in the small intestine; they are hydrolyzed to steviol by colonic bacteria and excreted. They do not raise blood glucose and provide near-zero calories. Some individuals report aftertastes at high concentrations; consumption of whole leaves or crude extracts has been discouraged by regulators due to safety data gaps.

Commercial uses: Stevia is used as a tabletop sweetener and as a sugar substitute in beverages, yogurt, baked goods, and other processed foods. It is commonly blended with other sweeteners to balance flavor and aftertaste.