Introduction
Stevia belongs to any plant species of the genus Stevia, or the closely related genus Piqueria having glutinous foliage and white or purplish flowers, or any plant of the genus Piqueria or the closely related genus Stevia, typically indigenous to Central and South America. It is an herbal plant that comes under the Chrysanthemum family that grows wild as a small shrub in South America, particularly in Paraguay and Brazil. It is said to be used to sweeten a native beverage called mate since the pre-Columbian times. However, Antonio Bertoni, a natural scientist, first recorded its usage by native tribes in 1887.
Paraguay, Brazil, Japan, and China are regarded as the main growers of Stevia. The other growers are scattered across the Pacific Rim. It is also being cultivated in southern Ontario and Mexico. Similarly, the major Stevia consuming countries are Brazil and the whole of South America, South Korea, China, and the entire Pacific Rim and Europe as well as Australia and North America. Since there exist no consumer index, it is believed that Japanese consumers used the equivalent of 700 metric tones of Stevia in 1987 alone, and the figure has been assumed increased since 1987.
In food applications, Stevia is particularly used as a sweetening substance in place of sugar and artificial sweeteners. It is widely used in food and beverages, including the Japanese sugar-free versions of Wrigley’s gums, Beatrice Foods, Yogurts and even diet Coke. It has also been used in Japanese-style pickles, dried seafood, fish and meat products, vegetables, confectioneries, and many other products.\
Stevia is a safe and all-natural alternative to replace artificial sweeteners in the diet. The industrial usage in Japan proves that this substitution is both practical and economical.
The refined extracts are being considered as non-caloric. “Will Stevia raise blood sugar level?” is a question. Some research has reported that it may actually lower blood sugar level. But this has yet to be confirmed. It can be absolutely used in cooking and baking. Industrial research in Japan has cited that Stevia and Stevioside extracts are extremely heat stable in a variety of everyday cooking and baking.
Controversies
The Stevia plant may be grown legally in most countries although some countries restrict or ban its use as a sweetener. In 1991, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) labeled stevia as an “unsafe food additive” and restricted its import. The reason as stated by the FDA was “toxicological information on Stevia is inadequate to demonstrate its safety.” Stevia remained banned until 1994. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act forced the FDA in 1995 to revise its stance to permit Stevia to be used as a dietary supplement, although not as a food additive.
The early studies nevertheless prompted the European Commission in 1999 to ban stevia’s use in food in the European Union pending further research. Similarly, Singapore and Hong Kong have also banned it. However, more recent data compiled in the safety evaluation released by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2006 suggested that these policies may be obsolete.
In December 2008, the FDA had granted generally regarded as safe (GRAS) approval to stevia. The FDA has only issued letters of “no objection” under GRAS status to Truvia (developed by Cargill and the Coca Cola Company) and Pure Via (developed by Pepsi Co and the Whole Earth Sweetener Company, a subsidiary of Merisant), both of which are wholly derived from the stevia plant. In fact, the approval of stevia as a sweetener substance is paving the way for the banning of aspartame, and could also be a green signal for lifting the import embargo on stevia.
Stevia in the context of Nepal
It has been learnt from different sources that the use of stevia is worldwide in one or the other way for a long time. But in the case of Nepal, it has still remained behind the screen. As compared to other herbal plants such as Tulsipatra and Belpatra, for instance, very few people know the value of this herbal plant.
It is also heard that certain nurseries and business houses in Nepal are trying to cultivate stevia in different parts of the country on trial basis. Similarly, some amateur plant lovers are growing stevia successfully in clay pots. All these indicate a suitable climatic condition available for growing stevia in Nepal, too. On the contrary, the government till date has been found paying no attention to its promotion in the country.
It is well understood by now that stevia is not harmful to human health. It can be consumed by diabetics too because the sugar content and other calories are virtually nil in stevia. Since it has yet to be confirmed by researchers that it lowers blood sugar, it is also confirmed that it does not raise the blood sugar level, either. Apart from its medicinal values, these typical plants are being used widely as a sweetening substance in human diets.
Food and beverages, confectioneries, baked food items imported from different countries have a good content of processed stevia products. Similarly, varieties of food items as such are being produced in Nepal too. Bakeries and food processors and producers are widely using costly sugar and artificial sweeteners. So why not produce natural sweeteners derived from stevia in order to replace costly sugar and the artificial sweeteners.
It could be developed as natural rival to the artificial sweetener. Therefore, it is the right time to work for stevia promotion in Nepal. The government should create an environment for the cultivation of stevia on commercial scale. An appropriate technology has to be developed. Similarly, research and study has to be conducted, and need to form attractive policies. The private sector also needs to help promote this sector through effective involvement, and it should establish good processing units in the country.
Conclusion
Stevia has good future scopes, and it should be promoted widely in Nepal on a public-private partnership concept. It could be a dietary aid to diabetic victims, an economical and viable substitute for expensive and harmful sugar, and can also help generating employment to some extent. In order to establish stevia as a natural rival to artificial sweetener, the government must think of the values of stevia seriously and formulate policies and programs accordingly to promote this new sector in the country.
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