Characteristics of Stevioside

Stevioside is extracted from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana,a composite plant.Stevia rebaudiana has a characteristic of high sweetness and low heat energy.Its sweetness is 200-300 times that of sucrose,and its calorific value is only 1/300 of sucrose.As a commonly used sweetener,steviol glycosides can be widely used in various food,beverage,pharmaceutical,and daily chemical industries.It can be said that almost all sugar products can use stevioside to replace part of sucrose or all chemical synthetic sweeteners such as saccharin.Let’s take a look at the characteristics of stevioside in the following text.

Characteristics of Stevioside

1.Hygroscopicity

Stevioside with a purity of over 80%are white crystals or powders with little hygroscopicity.

2.Solubility

Easily soluble in water and ethanol,when mixed with sucrose,fructose,glucose,Maltose,etc.,not only the steviol glycoside taste is more pure,but also the sweetness can be multiplied.This sugar has poor heat resistance and is not easily exposed to light.It is very stable in the pH range of 3-10 and is easy to store.

3.Stability

The solution has good stability,and is still very stable after heating treatment within the pH range of general beverages and foods.Stevioside show little change after being stored in an organic acid solution containing sucrose for six months;It does not decompose in acidic and alkaline media,which can prevent fermentation,discoloration,and sedimentation;It can reduce viscosity,inhibit bacterial growth,and extend product shelf life.

4.Sweet taste

Stevioside have a pure and refreshing sweetness,with a taste similar to that of white sugar,but their sweetness is 150-300 times that of sucrose.The extracted pure Leibaodi A sugar has a sweetness 450 times that of sucrose,resulting in a better taste.The dissolution temperature of stevia sugar is closely related to its sweetness and taste.Generally,low temperature dissolution has a high sweetness,while high temperature dissolution has a good taste but low sweetness.When it is mixed with citric acid,Malic acid,Tartaric acid,lactic acid,amino acid,etc.,it has a disinfection and sterilization effect on the aftertaste of stevioside.Therefore,when it is mixed with the above substances,it can play a taste correcting role and improve the sweet quality of stevioside.

Explanation:The potential efficacy and applications mentioned in this article are all from publicly available literature.