Stevia rebaudiana: a look into the future

Abstract

Overweightness and diabetes are global epidemics and the worldwide increase of diabetes has the potential to destroy any healthcare system. One cause is the excessively high sugar content in foods, especially in soft drinks. Meanwhile, 43 % of consumers have a preference for sugar-free beverages and another 26 % for low sugar beverages. Finding alternatives to sugar is not just a trend it is an economic necessity. The new WHO guidelines on sugar intake recommend a daily maximum of six teaspoons of sugar (ca. 25 g) from processed foodstuffs such as cola, ketchup, frozen pizza, etc. The recommendation only refers to added sugars (‘‘free sugars’’) and not to naturally occurring ones in fresh fruits, vegetables, and milk. ‘‘The risk of overweightness, obesity, and cavities will be reduced, if sugar intake is less than 10 %’’. Percentages of sugar in various food groups indicate how much our foods contain sugar or alternative substances. Just to name a few: candies 97 %, gummy bears 77 %, chocolate drink powder 75 %, chocolate-coated marshmallow treats 65 %, nougat cream 60 %, jams 60 %, whole milk chocolate 56 %, fruit preserves 15–55 %, breakfast cereals and muesli (granola) bars 40 %, ketchup 30 %, fruit yoghurt 13 %, lemonade 12 %, colas 11 %, fruit juice 10 %, salad dressing 10 %, sausage 1 %. However, the only way to reduce sugar content (and thus calories) in many foods is to use zero calorie sweeteners (Poppitt 1995). But artificial sweeteners are often viewed critically by consumers, especially in terms of presumed health risks, even though these have been ruled out by the rigorous testing process of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Consumers would prefer a natural sweetener (Breitenstein 2010), but are not satisfied with steviol