Stevia Rebaudiana

Sweet Stevia

Stevia plants 200-300 times sweeter than cane sugar.

INCREASE the price of sugar from 1 January, the public complaints received have been considered part of the main requirements of life. As expected, took place the sugar shortage in the market other than panic buying by consumers so far have been mixed with the sweetener.

Consequently, the government has taken various measures to overcome them and at the same time encourage people to reduce their sugar intake due to the increasing number of patients with diabetes and high blood each year.

However, in between the bustle of the campaign to reduce sweet (sugar) in food and add a sweet smile, came the excitement of some of the highlights of substitutes such as honey, sugar, artificial and stevia. Honey and sugar to the normal course of artificial sounds, but stevia?

Stevia is a plant quite new in this country despite the fact has been used in some countries as a sweetener. A plant whose scientific name is Stevia Rebaudiana, used Indian Red Guarani indigenous community in South America since 1,500 years ago as a sweetener for the bitter medicine.

It is also known as food supplements and herbs to treat diseases related to diabetes, obesity, lower high blood pressure, diabetes and ease treating burns. However, his name began to be references to the local population about five years ago when the usefulness as a suitable sweetener in diabetic patients take a scene and dealt with lately dilonjak as potential commercial crops in the country.

Principal Research Officer, Research Center for Rice & Industrial Crops Research and Development Institute Pertanian Malaysia (MARDI), Dr Tan Swee Lian, said Stevia from Paraguay, South America.

"Leafy trees shrubs oval, stick soft, smooth and rough flower is also known as sweet leaf or honey because they contain material that is 200 times sweeter than sugar although there are still bitter taste.

"Stevia has two main components of the sweetener in them, and rebaudiosid steviosid A. Both sweeteners would be reduced if the crop is harvested earlier.

"If the material rebaudiosid A steviosid and isolated in the laboratory, the bitter taste of stevia will be removed and it is suitable to be used as a sweetener with no bitter taste. The bitter taste of stevia is less popular among some people and become a major obstacle as a food substitute for sugar, "he said

He explained that stevia first brought into this country in the 1970s and continuing review of it to this day, yet only known from five recent years.

He said, stevia has been used as sugar substitute in Japan and the sweetener industry controls 40 percent while South Korea became the second largest country to make stevia as a sweetener. In Canada , India , China , Russia and Paraguay, this sweeteners are operated commercially.

He explained that before a skeptical public benefits of stevia as studies on mice in laboratories, making a lot of sweetener and continuing cause of the animal sterile.

"There are no specific studies done on humans, and if you want to compare with the indigenous communities in Paraguay, it is difficult to get the right answer because they do not eat stevia continuously and in large quantities. Community ate the bitter taste of stevia to eliminate drug substance alone and not be mandatory for every meal.

"In fact, the first time the U.S. government had banned the entry of stevia as a sugar substitute. However, in late 2008, the Food Administration and the U.S. Drug Administration (FDA) to approve stevia as a food that is safe for consumption and are classified as herbal supplement and not substitute for sugar, "he said.

Now, millions of people in Brazil and Japan use stevia as a food flavor and natural sweeteners, flavors and even a food approved 20 years ago. The population of Japan's largest consumer group said using stevia to sweeten the purpose of almost all food products including pickles, soft drinks and chocolate.

Potensi stevia di Stevia potential of the Malaysia Malaysia 

WHAT ARE THE potential of stevia as a commercial crop in this country? Can it be a substitute for curry industry?

Director of Research Center for Rice & Industrial Crop Mardi, Mansor Puteh, said Mardi receive many requests and questions about stevia, especially after the rise of sugar prices.

However, herbs which are not suitable for commercial plantations of sugar substitutes because of less economic value due to low prices, quality is not as good as other similar plants produced in the country with four seasons.

"To get a kilogram of dry stevia, at least five kilograms of fresh leaves needed at about RM1.40 per kg, while the cost of production may exceed the price of RM7 per kg crop.

"According to research, stevia is grown in this country because of lack of quality fast flower is harvested earlier than necessary. In Malaysia, too, it usually can grow to a height of one meter from the country's four seasons, reaching three meters in height. "Thus, if there is any company that wants to have the intention of doing so on a commercial for the replacement of sugar, I like to advise that it wishes to forget it," he said.

Mansor said, it's better if the plants cultivated for the purpose of marketing material or herbal supplements in health food and drinks, especially those with diabetes, hypertension and obesity.

"We welcome anyone interested in developing this crop in the herbal supplement industry.  In fact, willing to provide advice, assistance and guidance as well as continue to conduct research to improve the quality and harvest yield of stevia in this country, "he said.

Meanwhile, Principal Research Officer, Research Center for Rice & Industrial Crops Research and Development Institute Pertanian Malaysia (MARDI), Dr Tan Swee Lian said, there are several other materials being studied to replace the sugar, but they were not suitable for commercial production because the cost of other major problems getting raw materials.

Among the plants that are 'Thamaucoccus', forest trees, such as Masjid Fatimah, but it's difficult to run because of the very few that produce fruit sweetener.

In addition, honey is also difficult to run a large scale because Malaysia has no fruit growing areas as large as the Australia and the United States to allow the bees suck nectar from flowers on fruit trees.

However, said Dr Tan, only four of the 100 species of stevia are appropriate to the weather and environment in the country.

He said, Stevia can be grown and cultivated in this country but there are some issues that need to be entrepreneurs because of the risk of the plant can produce good results if long exposed to the sun.

"In this country, only 12 hours of daylight, the leaves produced significantly less exposed to the sun. But , Malaysia could reap as much as nine times the revenue as we warm throughout the year.

"Compared to countries with four seasons, the heat is about 16 hours and harvest can be made twice in the summer period of about three and a half months. Because of the heat and sun exposure is high, then the result of better quality stevia because it steviosid and rebaudiosid A higher plant.

"In this country, we can make the heating system is to use light as plants such as chrysanthemums or Chrysanthemum, but this is not possible for stevia because the price is too low, while the use of light requires a higher cost," he said.