Stevia : Research Insights

The first chapter of this book focuses on an alternative gluten-free flour enriched with a natural low-calorie sweetener. The main objective was to perform a systemic investigation on the thermo-mechanical properties of chickpea flour gels in the presence of stevia at different concentrations. The focus of the second chapter was to quantify the content of steviol glycosides in Criolla and Morita II varieties of S. rebaudiana grown in Mexico and to evaluate the hypoglycaemic effects of acute oral administration in normoglycemic and induced-diabetic Wistar rats. In the third chapter, Stevia rebaudiana is examined as a source of non-caloric natural sweeteners. The authors argue that Stevia cropping and consumption could assist people to restrict carbohydrate intake in their diet, enjoy the sweet taste with decreased calories, and contribute to a lower glycaemic index within a population. In the final chapter of this book, steviol glycosides are reviewed and novel trends in their extraction, separation, detection and quantification are reviewed.