Stevia rebaudiana

Mercola on Truvia and PureVia

2009-01-10T20:04:00.003+01:00

The FDA approved two versions of a new zero-calorie sweetener developed by the Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo.

Cargill, which is marketing the sweetener Truvia from Coca-Cola, received notification from the FDA that it had no objection to the product, calling it “generally recognized as safe.”

PepsiCo said it also had received a similar letter and the same “generally recognized as safe” designation for its sweetener, PureVia.

Mercola is commenting on the approvals:

[…] what they have approved is the use of certain active ingredients — these sweeteners are Stevia-based — not the entire plant, which has been used as a natural sweetener for more than 1,500 years. […], contrary to logic, the FDA actually declared natural Stevia an “unsafe food additive” at the end of 2007.

Read it all.

Stevia Zone

2009-01-02T22:33:00.005+01:00

Please visit nutritionist Sarah Vaughter's Stevia Zone, a site that has a wealth of known and less known facts about stevia. Thumbs up for Sarah's effords!

Wonderplant Stevia

2008-09-04T10:22:00.005+02:00

The Danish science site videnskab.dk runs a theme about Stevia (in Danish):

Stevia gennem århundreder

“Stevia-planten blev opdaget for mere end 100 år siden, og er gennem årene blevet brugt som sødemiddel i store dele af verden — undtagen Europa.” ※

Dansk forsker studerede vidunderplante hos indianere

“Et brasiliansk indianerfolk er ramt af diabetes type II pga. en genfejl. Men de holder sig raske ved at drikke te brygget på urten stevia. Dansk forsker har besøgt dem og set hvordan.” ※

Naturligt sødemiddel testes som ny medicin mod sukkersyge

“Danske forskere har opdaget at et kaloriefrit sødemiddel fra urten stevia også kan bruges som et effektivt middel mod type II diabetes — helt uden bivirkninger. Nu skal medicinen testes på mennesker.” ※

Forskere undrer sig over EU's manglende godkendelse af sundt sødemiddel

“Den brasilianske urt stevia bugner af et kaloriefrit sødestof, der smager bedre end sukker, og som er helt ufarligt for kroppen. WHO har godkendt stoffet, men EU-kommisionen tøver. Steviosid er havnet i et politisk spil om penge og magt, mener forskere.” ※

PepsiCo, Whole Earth Sweetener introduce PureVia™

2008-08-04T17:55:00.004+02:00

Last year Coca-Cola teamed with Cargill to create their own natural sweetener from Stevia. Now PepsiCo has joined with Whole Earth Sweetener to create PureVia™.

Rebaudioside A directly stimulates insulin secretion

2008-04-27T00:41:00.002+02:00

Rebaudioside A directly stimulates insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells: a glucose-dependent action via inhibition of ATP-sensitive K(+)-channels.

Diabetes Obes Metab. 2008 Apr 22 [Epub ahead of print]

Abudula R, Matchkov VV, Jeppesen PB, Nilsson H, Aalkjær C, Hermansen K.

Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism C, Århus University Hospital, Århus C, Denmark.

Recently, we showed that rebaudioside A potently stimulates the insulin secretion from isolated mouse islets in a dose-, glucose- and Ca(2+)-dependent manner. Little is known about the mechanisms underlying the insulinotropic action of rebaudioside A. The aim of this study was to define the signalling system by which, rebaudioside A acts. Isolated mouse islets were used in the cAMP[(125)I] scintillation proximity assay to measure total cAMP level, and in a luminometric method to measure intracellular ATP and ADP concentrations. Conventional and permeabilized whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique was used to verify the effect of rebaudioside A on ATP-sensitive K(+)-channels from dispersed single beta cells from isolated mouse islets. Insulin was measured by radioimmunoassay from insulinoma MIN6 cells. In the presence of 16.7 mM glucose, the addition of the maximally effective concentration of rebaudioside A (10(-9) M) increased the ATP/ADP ratio significantly, while it did not change the intracellular cAMP level. Rebaudioside A (10(-9) M) and stevioside (10(-6) M) reduced the ATP-sensitive potassium channel (K(ATP)) conductance in a glucose-dependent manner. Moreover, rebaudioside A stimulated the insulin secretion from MIN6 cells in a dose- and glucose-dependent manner. In conclusion, the insulinotropic effect of rebaudioside A is mediated via inhibition of ATP-sensitive K(+)-channels and requires the presence of high glucose. The inhibition of ATP-sensitive K(+)-channels is probably induced by changes in the ATP/ADP ratio. The results indicate that rebaudioside A may offer a distinct therapeutic advantage over sulphonylureas because of less risk of causing hypoglycaemia.

Stevioside

2007-11-11T13:11:00.000+01:00

Stevioside

Phytochemistry 2003 Nov;64(5):913-21.
doi:10.1016/S0031-9422(03)00426-6

Geuns JM

Stevioside is a natural sweetener extracted from leaves of Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) Bertoni. The literature about Stevia, the occurrence of its sweeteners, their biosynthetic pathway and toxicological aspects are discussed. Injection experiments or perfusion experiments of organs are considered as not relevant for the use of Stevia or stevioside as food, and therefore these studies are not included in this review. The metabolism of stevioside is discussed in relation with the possible formation of steviol. Different mutagenicity studies as well as studies on carcinogenicity are discussed. Acute and subacute toxicity studies revealed a very low toxicity of Stevia and stevioside. Fertility and teratogenicity studies are discussed as well as the effects on the bio-availability of other nutrients in the diet. The conclusion is that Stevia and stevioside are safe when used as a sweetener. It is suited for both diabetics, and pku patients, as well as for obese persons intending to lose weight by avoiding sugar supplements in the diet. No allergic reactions to it seem to exist.

FDA claims stevia “unsafe”

2007-09-18T18:16:00.000+02:00

U.S. health regulators warned Hain Celestial Group about a potentially unsafe herb in some of its herbal teas, saying it might be dangerous to blood sugar, reproductive, cardiovascular and renal systems.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent a letter to Hain dated 17th August calling the herb, a natural sweetener made from a South American herb called stevia, “an unsafe food additive.” The agency released the letter on its web site on Tuesday.

The FDA letter said that although it has received requests to use stevia in food, “data and information necessary to support the safe use have been lacking.”

It also said “literature reports have raised safety concerns,” including those “about control of blood sugar, and the effects on the reproductive, cardiovascular and renal systems.”

It seems the FDA has never heard about countries like Paraguay or Japan.

Weird…

Stevia videos

2007-09-01T20:09:00.000+02:00

This guy likes stevia:

This gal doesn't:

Stevia and VA-mycorrhiza

2007-08-26T09:47:00.000+02:00

Selection of Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi for stevia, Stevia rebaudiana (Bert.) Bertoni

Edilberto Princi Portugal, Giuliana C. Mercuri Quitério, Sylvio Luís Honório

pdf

Abstract:

Stevia rebaudiana (Bert.) Bertoni is a bush having its main economic and social value in its production of steviosides. The culture of stevia can be favored if young plant plugs are obtained in adequate conditions from protected environments, favorable substrates and by the use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM). Mycorrhizas are symbiotic associations that establish themselves among the roots of the majority of vegetal species and soil fungi. As a result, mycorrhized plants are more competitive and tolerant of adverse environmental conditions than non-colonized plants.

The objective of the present experiment was to select efficient species of AM fungi for the development and production of steviosides from Stevia rebaudiana. To this end, an experiment was conducted in a vegetation house to test seven species of AM fungi (Glomus intraradices, Glomus macrocarpum, Glomus etunicatum, Entrophospora sp., Acaulospora sp.), two isolated from stevia, (CP 13 and CPVG) and a control treatment without inoculation. Vases (2L) with sterile soil were utilized and each treatment was repeated 5 times, entirely casualized. The harvest was made at the beginning of flowering, 63 days after seeding.

The aerial part was dried in an oven at 45°C and the dry weight and stevioside concentration were determined. The roots were tinted for colonization evaluation. The production of dry-leaf masses was significantly superior for the treatments with G. intraradices (1.65g), G. etunicatum (1.60g) and Acaulospora sp (1.62g), while Entrophospora sp (1.23g) remained on an intermediary scale and the least efficient were CP 13 (1.00g), CPVG (0.88g) and G. macromarpum (0.56g). Control produced only 0.41g. The accumulated quantity of steviosides was significant for G. intraradices, varying from 51% in relation to Acaulospora sp. (IAC13) to 350% in relation to control.
For the EM (ectomycorrhizal) total dry mass, leaves and accumulation of steviosides, no negative effect was observed for the studied fungi, G. intraradices standing out for all parameters. The colonization varied from 27% (G. macrocarpum) to 76% (Entrophospora sp and G. intraradices) and no colonization occurred for the non-inoculated treatment. The results demonstrate that the use of mycorrhizal fungi can significantly increase the production of biomass and the concentration of steviosides and that the fungi naturally established in the culture may not be more efficient for the culture’s development.

Stevia, safety, EU

2007-08-11T19:57:00.000+02:00

In the previously mentioned article about stevia, a paragraph in the safety information section reads:

“More elaborate safety tests were performed by the Japanese during their evaluations of stevia as a possible sweetening agent. Few substances have ever yielded such consistently negative results in toxicity trials as has stevia. Almost every toxicity test imaginable has been performed on stevia extract or stevioside at one time or another The results are always negative. No abnormalities in weight change, food intake, cell or membrane characteristics, enzyme and substrate utilization, or chromosome characteristics. No cancer, no birth defects, no acute and no chronic untoward effects. Nothing.”

Now, if the Japanese have already assessed the safety of stevia, how come we in the eu now have to jump through hoops in order to have stevia approved as a “novel food”?

Life with Stevia

2007-08-11T19:00:00.000+02:00

Former Fat Guy has an article about the nutrional and medical uses of stevia:

First stevia seedling

2007-08-11T18:00:00.000+02:00

The rather poor photo on the left shows my first tiny stevia seedling, sown on 1st August, that emerged five days ago, and now sports its first — albeit very small — real leaves. Ungerminated seeds are visible here and there, shaming the seed bag's “Keimrate etwa 80%” (to be fair, the bag also reads “Ausreichend für mehr als 10 Pflanzen”).

/me sings ♪ Please grow for me ♫ … ☺

Growing Stevia

2007-08-01T14:54:00.001+02:00

Today the Stevia seeds arrived from Germany, and for at start I have sown about one third of the seeds in a pot in my window sill. The instructions on the seed bag says that the seeds need light in order to germinate (see also this study from 1999), so I sprinkled the seeds on top of the moist soil, then covered the pot with see-through plastic to prevent the soil from drying out. See the illustrations from Medherbs.
You might also like to visit Iniman's stevia blog. He started a couple of months ago, and his plants look great.

Stevia in Japan

2007-07-29T16:04:00.000+02:00

Stevia based sweeteners have a history of about four decades in Japan. However, its main uses were limited to pickles and seasonings because of the licorice like aftertaste of stevioside. Unsurprisingly, major effords have been undertaken to decrease the ratio of stevioside to rebaudioside a, which is neatly reflected in the product line of dic (tyo:4631):

The Hoten variety was registered in 1987 and gave rise to the now standard grade Chrysanta® product that contains 60% rebaudioside. The Seiten variety from 1990 is used in manufacturing of the high grade product containing 80% rebaudioside. And the Shuten variety from 2001 made possible the highest grade product containing more than 90% rebaudioside.

Sweet, innit? One should have in mind, though, that fairly recent research by Dyrskog et al. have shown that, in contrast to stevioside, rebaudioside does not improve glycemic control or blood pressure…

EU regulation 2000/196/EC

2007-07-29T08:55:00.000+02:00

Just for the reference: Here's a link to the eu regulation 2000/196/ec, dated 22nd February 2000.

2000/196/EC:
Commission Decision of 22 February 2000 refusing the placing on the market of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni: plants and dried leaves as a novel food or novel food ingredient under Regulation (EC) Nº 258/97 of the European Parliament and of the Council (notified under document number C(2000) 77) (Only the Dutch text is authentic)

Stevia on Orkut

2007-07-29T08:00:00.000+02:00

There are a few stevia related fora on Orkut:

See also the announcement of a mailing list for friends of stevia on google groups.

Mailing list

2007-07-28T23:51:00.000+02:00

For those who wish to exchange ideas and experiences about stevia with similarly inclined there is now an english spoken mailing list on google groups.

See also the list of stevia related communities on Orkut.

Enjoy!

Steviol glycosides in food

2007-07-28T23:00:00.000+02:00

Risk in brief

The Joint Food and Agriculture Organization / World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) had evaluated the safety of stevioside in 1998. Owing to shortcomings and incompleteness of the research findings, JECFA did not make any conclusion regarding its safety at that time.
JECFA in 2004 re-evaluated the safety of stevioside and other steviol glycosides and concluded that steviol glycosides did not demonstrate any genotoxic and carcinogenic potential from available evidence.
JECFA in 2004 allocated a temporary acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 2 mg/kg bw for steviol glycosides, expressed as steviol. Dietary intake of steviol glycosides at level below this safety reference value is unlikely to cause adverse effects in humans in general.
However, JECFA noted the potential pharmacological effects of stevioside in patients with hypertension or with type-2 diabetes (or noninsulin-dependent diabetes) and raised concern whether these pharmacological effects could lead to adverse effects in some individuals (e.g. those with hypotension or diabetes). JECFA therefore considered that more scientific data is required for further evaluation in 2007.
In June 2007, JECFA considered some newly available data and opined that they did not raise additional concerns regarding the safety of steviol glycosides, but the results of ongoing clinical studies would be essential for further evaluation of the substances. The temporary ADI was therefore extended until 2008, pending submission of the results of the ongoing studies.

Source: Centre for Food Safety, Risk in Brief Nº 10 (July 2007): Stevioside in Food

Cultivation of Stevia in EU

2007-07-28T22:18:00.000+02:00

The FAIR-3751 project intended to carry out a significant improvement of the cultivation technique by closely associating agronomists, process technologists and construction engineers. The executed work showed that a cultivation of Stevia rebaudiana in the eu is feasible. The following aims have been achieved:

development of an optimised cultivation technique which is economically adapted to european farms, notably through mechanisation
development of an adapted Stevia harvester
development of a green crop dressing line to facilitate near farm extraction

In autumn 2007 the improved website of University of Hohenheim will be launched.

The chances of being able to cultivate Stevia in southern european regions (Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal) are particularly good. Stevia is suitable to substitute the cultivation of tobacco for which financial support granted by the eu will end in 2010. “Stevia is able to increase the net operating income of tobacco farmers by up to 400 percent — without subsidies,” says Prof. Dr. Thomas Jungbluth (2004).

SteviaRebaudiana.com

2007-07-28T21:59:00.000+02:00

SteviaRebaudiana.com is an information source on stevia, its history, legal situation and more. Well worth a visit.

UK safety evaluations

2007-07-28T21:27:00.000+02:00

The UK Food Standards Agency writes about stevia and stevioside:

Stevioside is a high intensity sweetener, 250-300 times sweeter than sucrose.

It is isolated and purified from the leaves of the Stevia plant (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni), where it is present at levels up to 13%, and has been used for a number of years as a sweetener in South America, Asia, Japan and China.

As a result of the outcome of safety assessments which have been carried out Stevia and stevioside are not permitted for sale as food or food ingredients in the UK or elsewhere within the EU.

Siraitia grosvenorii

2007-07-23T10:42:00.000+02:00

Wikipedia knows the lo han guo fruit mentioned earlier by its botanical name Siraitia grosvenorii (syn. Momordica grosvenorii and Thladiantha grosvenorii), and the chinese entry even sports a photo of the fruit.

Lo Han Guo

2007-07-23T09:30:00.000+02:00

Mark Isaac Thyss over at “Garden of Healing” talks about Lo Han Guo:

Luo han guo is a very sweet fruit found in Southern China. It is low-calorie and extracts of it are now being marketed as a sweetener.

The fruit extract is nearly 300 times sweeter than sugar and has been used as a natural sweetener in China for nearly a millennium due to its flavor and lack of food energy. It has also been used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Lo han guo is a vine cultivated in special gardens cleared in the mountain forests. The plant is rarely found in the wild and has been cultivated for hundreds of years.

The “300 times sweeter than sugar” sounds a bit like stevia, doesn't it? I wonder where I can find this fruit…

Update: See also the entry about Siraitia grosvenorii.

Stevioside counteracts α-cell hypersecretion

2007-07-22T22:06:00.000+02:00

Stevioside counteracts the α-cell hypersecretion caused by long-term palmitate exposure

Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Mar;290(3):E416-22.
DOI 10.1152/ajpendo.00331.2005 (pdf)

Hong J, Chen L, Jeppesen PB, Nordentoft I, Hermansen K

Long-term exposure to fatty acids impairs β-cell function in type 2 diabetes, but little is known about the chronic effects of fatty acids on α-cells. We therefore studied the prolonged impact of palmitate on α-cell function and on the expression of genes related to fuel metabolism. We also investigated whether the antihyperglycemic agent stevioside was able to counteract these effects of palmitate. Clonal α-TC1-6 cells were cultured with palmitate in the presence or absence of stevioside. After 72 h, we evaluated glucagon secretion, glucagon content, triglyceride (TG) content, and changes in gene expression. Glucagon secretion was dose-dependently increased after 72-h culture, with palmitate at concentrations ≥0.25 mM (P < 0.05). Palmitate (0.5 mM) enhanced TG content of α-cells by 73% (P < 0.01). Interestingly, stevioside (10^–8 and 10^–6 M) reduced palmitate-stimulated glucagon release by 22 and 45%, respectively (P < 0.01). There was no significant change in glucagon content after 72-h culture with palmitate and/or stevioside. Palmitate increased carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT I) mRNA level, whereas stevioside enhanced CPT I, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ, and stearoyl-CoA desaturase gene expressions in the presence of palmitate (P < 0.05). In conclusion, long-term exposure to elevated fatty acids leads to a hypersecretion of glucagon and an accumulation of TG content in clonal α-TC1-6 cells. Stevioside was able to counteract the α-cell hypersecretion caused by palmitate and enhanced the expression of genes involved in fatty acid metabolism. This indicates that stevioside may be a promising antidiabetic agent in treatment of type 2 diabetes.

(First published October 4, 2005)

Glycosides from Stevia rebaudiana

2007-07-21T22:25:00.000+02:00

Glycosides from Stevia rebaudiana

Chem Nat Comp, 2007, 43(1):81-85 (Jan 2007)
DOI 10.1007/s10600-007-0037-x (pdf)

G. I. Kovylyaeva, G. A. Bakaleinik, I. Yu. Strobykina, V. I. Gubskaya, R. R. Sharipova, V. A. Al’fonsov, V. E. Kataev and A. G. Tolstikov

A new laboratory method for isolating the glycosides stevioside and rebaudiosides A and C from leaves of Stevia rebaudiana was proposed. According to HPLC, the glycoside contents in plants grown in Russia (Voronezh Oblast’) and Ukraine (Crimea) were 5–6% (stevioside) and 0.3–1.3% (rebaudiosides A and C).

(Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 68–71, January–February, 2007)