Question: The economic product of Stevia is obtained from which part of the plant?
Options:
(a) Flower (1)
(b) Fruit (2)
(c) Seed (3)
(d) Leaves (4)
Stevia is a natural sweetener and sugar substitute derived from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant. The leaves contain sweet-tasting compounds called steviol glycosides, which are about 200-300 times sweeter than table sugar but have negligible calories. These glycosides are extracted and purified to create stevia sweeteners.
• Why Leaves are the Economic Product:
Steviol Glycosides: The leaves are the primary source of the sweet-tasting steviol glycosides, the main component of stevia sweeteners.
Concentration: The highest concentration of steviol glycosides is found in the leaves, making them the most valuable part of the plant for commercial production.
Harvesting: Leaves are relatively easy to harvest and process compared to other plant parts like flowers, fruits, or seeds.
🛑 Additional Information:::
Uses –Â Calorie free sweetner, sugar substitute for diabetic patients.
Stevia is a sugar substitute made from the leaves of the stevia plant.
It's about 100 to 300 times sweeter than table sugar, but it has no carbohydrates, calories, or artificial ingredients.
• Examples of Artificial Sweeteners:
• Saccharin (Ortho-sulphobenzimide):
The first popular artificial sweetening agent.
Discovered in 1879.
About 550 times as sweet as cane sugar.
• Aspartame:
Roughly 100 times as sweet as cane sugar.
It is a methyl ester of dipeptide formed from aspartic acid and phenylalanine.
Limited use in cold foods and soft drinks.
• Alitame:
A high potency sweetener.
Difficult to control the sweetness of food when using it.
About 2000 times as sweet as cane sugar.
• Sucralose:
It is a trichloro derivative of sucrose.
Its appearance and taste are like sugar.
Does not provide calories.
About 600 times as sweet as cane sugar.