Abstract
Stevia rebaudiana, belongs to the family of Asteraceae, is a perennial and medicinal shrub. It’s leaves dry powder widely used as a natural sweetener which has no calories but reported to be 50– 300 times sweetener as sweet as sugar, that are said to be having insulin balancing properties without any side effects. This research was first time conducted in Bangladesh where a quantitative analysis were performed for determining the major constituents of in vitro propagated Stevia rebaudiana plant leaves dry powder that was prepared through oven dry after sun dry. The analysis revealed the powder as mild acidic (PH 5.345). Total chlorophyll contents were found to be 0.845mg% where chlorophyll–a and -b were 0.088 and 0.761 mg% respectively. The major macro nutrients such as ash, crude fiber, total carbohydrate, total protein and fat were determined at the amount of 7.05, 10.5, 53.52, 13.13 and 3.55 gm% respectively where the micro nutrients like Iron (Fe), Sodium (Na), Potassium (K), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Phosphorus (P) and Chloride (Cl) were found at the amount of 34.2, 184.3, 2500, 534.43, 465.34, 304.7 and 49.6 mg% accordingly. Screening for secondary metabolites showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins and tannins as the amount of 2.83, 17.20, 6.69 and 5.84 mg% respectively in dry powder. These findings also have been compared with the other reported values on Stevia from different countries of the world. Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol 3(4): 721-726
Highlights
Stevia rebaudiana plant leaves dry powder is a non-caloric alternative to artificially produced sugar substitute which traverse to the chemical degradation process without breaking down, and is safe for those who need to control their blood sugar level, especially for the diabetic patient
Studies showed that its leaves contain diterpene glycosides, commonly known as Stevioside, Rebaudioside A – F, Ducloside A and Steviolbioside (Kinghorn et al, 1985), which are responsible for the typical sweet taste (GRAS Assessment) and its extract contain chlorophylls, xanthophylls, hydroxyl cynnamic acids, oligosaccharides, amino acids, lipids and trace elements, alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins and tannins (Gasmalla et al, 2014)
The findings have been compared with the published reports of Ena gupta et al 2015; Mishra et al 2010; Savita et al 2004; Gasmalla et al 2014; Kaushik et al 2010; Tadhani et al 2006; and Abou–Arab and AbuSalem, 2010; on major constituents of Stevia leaves or powder which were from different climatic regions and cultivation processes
Summary
Stevia rebaudiana plant leaves dry powder is a non-caloric alternative to artificially produced sugar substitute which traverse to the chemical degradation process without breaking down, and is safe for those who need to control their blood sugar level, especially for the diabetic patient. Which are used as a substitute of sugar, is associated with various types of potential risk like migraines, memory loss, slurred speech, dizziness, stomach pain, seizures, obesity, diabetes and heart diseases, including bladder cancer (Jaroslav et al, 2006). Whereas this endemic shrub, originated in the culture of native Guarani tribes of Paraguay, becoming high demanding uses as a natural sweetener and considered as a medicinal plant against various types of complicated diseases. Stevia plants, discovered by Antonio Bertoni (a South American Natural Scientist) in 1887, are widely situated along the 25th Degree line in South Latitude. Studies showed that its leaves contain diterpene glycosides, commonly known as Stevioside, Rebaudioside A – F, Ducloside A and Steviolbioside (Kinghorn et al, 1985), which are responsible for the typical sweet taste (GRAS Assessment) and its extract contain chlorophylls, xanthophylls, hydroxyl cynnamic acids (caffeic, chlorogenic etc), oligosaccharides, amino acids, lipids and trace elements, alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins and tannins (Gasmalla et al, 2014)
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