Title: Alternative Sweeteners

172 Kinghorn et al.
V. USE AND ADMIXTURE POTENTIAL
Several authors have indicated that S. rebaudiana leaves have been used to
sweeten bitter beverages such as maté (Ilex paraguayensis St.-Hil.) in Paraguay
for centuries (reviewed in 2). However, it has been suggested that this plant was
not of particularly great significance to the indigenous Guarani Indians of Paraguay,
because they placed more value on the use of honey as a sweetener (2).
In recent times, the use of S. rebaudiana leaves to sweeten maté or foods was
seen to be practiced only sporadically in Paraguay (2). Lewis (12) has documented
certain previously unpublished memoranda concerning the early use of
S. rebaudiana leaves as a sweetener and concluded that the sweet properties of
S. rebaudiana leaves have been known to local populations in Paraguay since
at least before 1887. This knowledge only slowly disseminated to the extended
population, both because of the rarity of the plant within its distribution range
and a comparative lack of interest by the colonists (2, 12). For several years, teas
made from S. rebaudiana leaves have been prescribed by physicians in Paraguay
for the treatment of diabetes (2). S. rebaudiana products are now approved as
additives by the Food National Codes of both Paraguay and Argentina (13). In
neighboring Brazil, after the initial introduction of two S. rebaudiana products
(2), extracts of the leaves of this plant (purified to contain a minimum of 60%
stevioside) and pure stevioside (free from steviol and isosteviol) have been approved
for use in foods and beverages, dietetic foods and beverages, chewing
gum, medicines, and oral hygiene products (14). In addition, stevioside was regulated
for use in Brazil in soft drinks, although strict labeling requirements were
put forth (15).
S. rebaudiana extracts were introduced commercially for sweetening purposes
in Japan in 1976 (2). Since then, Japanese commercialization of S. rebaudiana
has been quite rapid, and this has been attributed to certain factors. First,
sucrose consumption has been curtailed in Japan because of health concerns related
to dental caries, obesity, and diabetes. Second, certain artificial sweeteners
were banned or severely restricted in Japan in the 1960s. Third, there has been
a perception among the Japanese government regulatory agencies and the public
alike that synthetic compounds are inherently more harmful than naturally occurring
substances (2). Extracts of S. rebaudiana containing stevioside have particular
advantages that have contributed to their development as widely used
noncaloric sucrose substitutes in Japan. For example, stevioside has been found
to suppress the pungency of sodium chloride, a universal preservative and flavoring
agent that is commonly added to Japanese-style vegetables, dried seafoods,
soy sauce, and miso (bean paste) products. Stevioside is relatively stable under
normal elevated temperatures involved in food processing and does not turn
brown on heating or ferment during use. The compound does not precipitate at