Steviol glycosides are natural compounds found in the leaves of the stevia plant (commonly known as stevia). They are used as zero-calorie sweeteners in various food and beverage products. Steviol glycosides are white, light yellow loose powders or crystals with a slightly bitter taste. They are 200-450 times sweeter than sucrose but contain only 1/300 of the calories of sucrose. Therefore, steviol glycosides are ideal sucrose substitutes.Steviol glycosides consist of several components including stevioside, rebaudioside, dulcoside, rubusoside, and steviolmonoside. The main product categories are total steviol glycosides, Rebaudioside A (RA) series, Steviolbioside (STV) series, and glucosylated steviol glycosides. Glucosylated steviol glycosides are produced by enzymatic glucosylation of the steviol glycosides extracted from stevia leaves, followed by concentration, and spray drying. They are usually blended with dispersing agents like lactose and maltodextrin to reduce the sweetness to 0.5-1 times that of sucrose.
As natural plant-based sugar substitutes, steviol glycosides are widely popular and used in various food and beverage products including soft drinks, tea, sugar-free desserts, and tabletop sweeteners.