STEVIA

[maria angelica sassone]

Stevia plant diabetics

 

Detail of leaves Stevia rebaudiana .

 

Inflorescence of Stevia.

 

Chemical formula of stevioside by the Laboratory of Plant Physiology , Catholic University of Leuven.



Some of the products that are available on the Spanish market, Anagalide hand .

 

A plant to know

 

The Stevia rebaudiana(Bertoni ) is a shrub native to Paraguay and Brazil, known by the indigenous Guarani and Mato Grosso since ancient times, the
they called ka'a he'e ( honey leaf ). This shrub reaches 90 cm
tall and is characterized by the bright green leaves
and some avellutadas , lanceolate or elliptic , toothed position
AC , which are 3 to 5 cm long by 1.5 to 2 cm
wide. The stems are hairy and straight, while the roots
filiform are essentially superficial and have enough strength
vital to facilitate the regrowth of the plant .
It is a dioecious plant whose flowers are small, tubular, white, unscented
perceptible. They are grouped into panicles formed by small corimboides
axillary chapters grow slowly. Their flowers the
pollinating bees. In our latitudes it is unusual to bear fruit
fertile. The fruits are achenes equipped with a pappus that the wind
easily transported . Anyway, the best method
Reproduction for cultivation are the cuttings. The natural habitat
This plant is semi-arid regions such as the region
Range Amambay in Paraguay. In the wild, grows in
sandy, less fertile but well drained. Requires long days and
sun. The Spanish adopted it as a sweetener for beverages and
other goodies , so it was known as " sweet herb . " Without
But not until the late nineteenth century Paraguayan botanist
Moises Bertoni the classification in 1899.

 

A healthy plant clearly
A powerful natural sweetener
The medicinal use of Stevia
Process of extraction and purification of stevioside

 

The regulation of stevia in the European Union

The regulation of novel foods in the EU in force since 1997 requires that any food considered "exotic" meets strict safety conditions before
to be introduced into the European market. EU to introduce a
food for the first time are required to apply the conditions
establishes the novel food regulation in the EU. The standard
identifies five categories of products based on technology
applied or the origin of foods and their ingredients , while
attributed to food safety authorities of each
country a key role in this procedure. To achieve
a new food into the EU , the simplest procedure is
a country subject to a product evaluation by sending its proposal to
other Member States to issue their approval. Fruits
considered exotic such as mango , papaya , pomegranate , tea
white, etc. . , rose by a significant 26% between 2001 and 2004,
according to a recent study. Today Stevia can not
marketed as food. In 2007 the European Stevia Association EUSTAS filed for approval as new food (novel food)
for leaves of Stevia and also asked for extracts
purified ( minimum 95 %) food additive status
sweetener. products can be sold for Stevia
cosmetic applications , agricultural and animal feed. In Spain,
laboratory AnagalideFounding member of the European Stevia Association markets several products for various applications derived from Stevia. The company Online Diet sold hand -cut bulk plant useful for tea . Outside Spain , the laboratory MEDHERBS offers a wealth of stevia products , including dried leaves for teas or seeds for cultivation .

There are a large number and variety of patents on processes of extraction and purification of stevioside , which could be summarized in the following steps: extraction
leaves Stevia rebaudianawith water or organic solvents , filtration , precipitation of impurities and coagulation pH change ; clean -upon ion exchange resins , crystallization , drying.
Importantly , if the process is not a product obtained
acceptable flavor , apply other treatments, such as
enzymatic or chemical modifications , but the resulting product will not
might be called natural.
Stevioside we can find it in several ways:
• extract obtained by diffusion : dark dense liquid ,
result of boiling the leaves in water ( see appendix) , so can
enhance the flavors of the foods to which they añadide this
liquid.
• extract obtained by macerating : liquid prepared by maceration of the leaves in distilled water or a mixture of liquor
alcoholic (fit for human consumption ) and water. Liquid form
obtained by dissolving the purified stevioside in water ( solution).
All methods are natural and serve a purpose
given : simple tea, liquid or crystal form
solubility; each will have different properties and applications.
Leaves Stevia rebaudianacontain, as mentioned, a mixture of eight glycosides diterpenic (which are mainly stevioside and
the rebaudioside ). Stevioside is a natural sweetener no
nitrogen extremely sweet . In its pure state is 300 times sweeter
than sucrose. We might describe as a glycoside stevioside
a molecule composed of steviol , which is adhered to the
pagoda tree through a hydroxyl group of carbon number 13. Its
empirical formula is C38H60O18 , and its molecular weight is 804.2 g.
Its physical and chemical properties desirable for food processing can include:
• The heat resistance. Its structure is not altered by exposure
at high temperatures and therefore does not lose its sweetness . It
suitable for hot foods or baked . It is stable at temperatures
normally used in food processing : pasteurisation
sterilization, cooking.
• High solubility in water and hydroalcoholic solutions .
• Resistance to pH. It is stable in a wide range of pH 3-9 , even
100 ° C. Above pH 9 is a rapid loss of sweetness, not
But few foods are pH values > 9. In drinks
carbonated including in its composition citric acid and phosphoric acid, is
detect loss of sweetness of 36% and 17%, respectively, when
stored at 37 ° C.
• Do not add calories. Stevioside at high concentrations exhibits a slightly bitter aftertaste and undesirable , which
attempt to remove or at least mask , keeping the assumption
that the factor responsible for the aftertaste would be a possible oxidation
one or more components present in the Stevia rebaudianaBertoni.
Referring to numerous studies and the experience of hundreds of diabetics that are consumed in Catalonia and the rest of the state, we see that is a plant that regulates
blood sugar , lowering blood pressure and regulating the
digestive system in general. It also acts favorably in many
people with anxiety , reduce fat in obese people and is diuretic .
The dose most commonly used of people who have
Beneficial effects is 4 young leaves , food
directly before or during lunch and 4 leaves before or
while dinner. If there are no tender leaves can be prepared a
dried leaf infusion (an infusion in the morning and another at dusk).
The infusion dose is one teaspoon of dried leaf dessert
cup chopped by infusion. We can also prepare a dose for
two days . In this case we take a liter of water and we
boil. Then close the fire and add 4 tablespoons of dessert
crushed dried leaf and allowed to rest at least 30 minutes before
take it. Thus the blade will deliver all its properties. Then
we put in the fridge.
Another application of Stevia mouthwashes are infused with it. There was an effect
similar to other chemical antiseptics such as chlorhexidine , so
the use of Stevia can be considered as a preventive of caries
mouth . There is a toothpaste, Biodent, Based on stevia, clay and other healthy herbs .

The stevioside
That is a healthy plant Stevia lies, as mentioned, in that its leaves have a substance called stevioside, what makes them 10 to 30 times
sweeter than sugar . The sweet taste is due to glycosides
steviol , mainly stevioside and rebaudioside A. Is
consisting of a mixture of at least eight glycosides diterpenic
(The glycoside is a molecule produced by condensation between two
monosaccharides, while a terpene is a lipid -derived
hydrocarbon isoprene , which is purified from 100 up to 300 times
sweet as sucrose and their physico -chemical and
Toxicological for its inclusion in the human diet to be used
as a natural diet sweetener , without side effects ). A
plant produces 1 m tall, around 70 grams of material
dry usable, in which 25 g correspond to leaves. The
Stevioside is a " white crystalline powder, odorless, non- hygroscopic, non-
fermentable, sweeter flavor in very dilute solutions , very soluble
in water. " However, its main obstacle to
marketing what is called an aftertaste , which to be
removed requires expensive laboratory processes . However,
intake of young leaves is much cheaper and just as healthy
and medicinal properties with more purified extracts . Unfortunately , pressure from large pharmaceutical corporations in diabetics who have a "clients addicted " does not provide that an advance in new
research to gain insight into the medicinal effects
this plant. In any case, Stevia is an ideal plant for autocultivada
for oneself and for that, easily , one can benefit from
take each day leaves that have so proven effects that
beneficial to health. Unfortunately , multinational
sweeteners such as Coca Cola and Cargill have been patented in 2007 and in the
United , a product derived from Stevia called rebiana " , which have
associated to 24 patents, primarily in relation to
processes to extract the extracts of the leaves so do not leave
bitter taste is stevioside . For their part , drug
opt for the artificial production technology type
Transgenic insulin as a solution to lower costs
treatment of diabetes. It is clear that large corporations do not
are willing to that one can have on your own balcony pantry
health . However, Stevia revolution is underway. Of all the medicinal properties of stevia can be listed include the effects on the quality of life of diabetics. Much of those affected by this
disease (estimated at more than 135 million worldwide )
could benefit from the regulatory properties of the levels of
blood sugar intake contributes tender leaves of the stevia .
Medical studies find that the active ingredient in the plant
induces pancreatic beta cells to produce for themselves
significant amounts of insulin, which helps reduce
blood glucose, which is the cause of diabetes mellitus 2 .

Drug companies want slaves