New Natural Sweetener

Steviol glycosides are a group of very strong sweeteners extracted from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant. They have been found to be around 250 times sweeter than sugar.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has approved the use of this sweetener (stevia) for use as an ingredient in food and beverages in both Australia and New Zealand.

It is expected that in time, this material will eventually replace many of the existing chemical sweeteners in use in the food industry, particularly those used in “diet” drinks, as it will be cheaper, more intense, natural, and less will be needed to achieve the same sweetness level.

The original application to FSANZ and following submissions were placed by CQUniversity’s Centre for Plant and Water Science on behalf of all consumers, users and potential growers. It took 10 years of research, and four years of submissions for the approval to be given. As stevia is not a new invention, no company holds a patent on it or it’s use.

Professor David Midmore of CQUniversity states that the “approval process confirmed the complete safety of stevia, it has passed every conceivable test for safety. CQUniversity believes that it will make an important contribution in low calorie drinks.

For example, one litre of sugar sweetened soft drink contains at least 1700kJ of energy, whereas when sweetened with stevia the energy content will be as low as 7kJ.”

Professor Midmore also said that” we see stevia becoming a significant tool/ingredient for community use in the fight against obesity and the associated metabolic syndrome and diabetes (typeII)”.