Sweeter
alternative
Dr
N Barathi introduces a new and promising renewable raw material
for the food market that could be a viable alternative to sugarcane
Stevia
rebaudiana or Stevia, a sweet herb, a native of Paraguay, is likely
to become the major source of high potency sweeteners for the growing
natural food market, in the years to come. Stevia finds its use
as a natural sweetener, replacing the chemical sweeteners and even
table sugar. Given the escalating cost of production of sugar, with
its unquenchable thirst for water and irrigation, cultivation of
Stevia opens up new areas for crop diversification. However, the
market potential for this natural sweetener is still untapped.
The
sweetness in the leaf is due to the presence of an intensive-sweetening
agent called Stevioside. Experiments have proved that Stevioside,
apart from being a calorie free, is 30 times sweeter than cane sugar.
Hence Stevia has been termed as the “calorie free bio sweetener
of high quality”.
It
is estimated that about 210 lakh Indians are presently suffering
from diabetes and it is proposed that by 2010 India’s contribution
to the diabetic global population would be a whopping 600 lakh.
With such a huge share of the population being diabetic, new ventures
in the food industry are focused entirely on them. As
tea and coffee have been the non-replaceable favourite beverage
for every Indian, this sector carries enormous potential for the
usage of Stevia.
The
soft drink manufacturers in India are yet to exploit the sweetness
of this herb by using it in their products. Though many soft drinks
are introduced in the market with the prefix ‘dia’ connoting that
it is meant for the diabetics, the usage of Stevia in such products
would fetch a greater demand than for the one with artificial sweeteners.
All
the ‘dia’ prefixed products in the market, at
present, are sweetened with artificial sweeteners, which though
equally sweet, have undetectable side effects in due course. While
Stevia is a natural sweetener, fully plant-based could replace the
artificial sweeteners completely. As Stevia leaf powder with no
processing is highly safe to use, calorie free and moreover around
30 times sweeter than cane sugar, it can replace cane sugar too.
Stevia leaf powder is very simple to make when compared to the processing
of cane sugar, which involves a number of tedious steps.
Variety
of usage
At
present, people are more inclined towards products advertised with
brand names like ‘All natural’ and ‘Low cholesterol’. The
food industry could grab a major share in the market if Stevia,
the natural sweetener, is used as a sweetening agent in products
like biscuits, jams, chocolates, ice creams, baked foods, soft drinks,
soda, candies and common beverages like tea, coffee and herbal tea
that are focused, in particular, on diabetic and health conscious
consumers
Confectioneries
and soft drinks
The
confectionery industry is yet to reap the benefit of Stevia, which
is available at a relatively comparable cost of Rs 350 per kg of
dried leaves. Stevia can be used to an added advantage as a herb
that discourages tooth decay. It possesses an anti-microbial property
that can be used in all kinds of sweets, which are very popular
with children, as it does not encourage the growth of any bacteria
in the teeth.
The
soft drink manufacturers have introduced several health drinks and
many food supplementary beverages, especially for the diabetics.
Majority of the food supplementary products for diabetic patients
emphasise on the fibre and the protein content. The addition of
Stevia leaves, dried or in powder form, in such products would not
only aid in increasing the sweetness naturally but also help in
rejuvenating the pancreatic gland. Apart from this, Stevia is nutrient
rich, containing substantial amount of protein, calcium and phosphorus.
Household
usage
Grounded
Stevia is excellent when sprinkled lightly over cooking vegetable
and meat, cereals and salads. Besides adding its own sweet taste,
it significantly enhances the flavour and nutritional value of the
food. As these leaves are used without much processing, its powder
can be used in most of the typical Indian dishes like chakkara pongal,
payasam, ravaa laddoo. Making
fresh fruit juice is another such area that is still unexplored.
Fruit juice can be made totally fresh and natural by the addition
of this natural sweetener. The sweet deprived diabetic patients
can relish their favourite sweets with Stevia without any compromise
on the sweetness factor, in addition to the health restoring activity
of this herb.
contd
