Make life sweeter and healthier with stevia sugar.

By Lin Yuchen, Reporter of this .With the development of human society, the global health trend is also changing significantly, obesity has become a more serious global health problem than hunger. According to the report, the global obesity rate has increased by 82% over the past 20 years, and almost all countries in the world, with the exception of sub-Saharan Africa, face a severe obesity problem. At the same time, European countries and the United States have begun efforts to control the sale of sugary drinks in public places such as restaurants, cinemas and schools, and have asked food companies to help develop solutions to balance food calories. The reason for this is that people consume a lot of sugar in their diet, and the lack of exercise to burn calories is considered one of the major factors in the growing obesity problem. To preserve a good taste in food or beverage while controlling sugar intake, scientists believe stevia as a new natural sweetener refined from chrysanthemum herb stevia could be an effective solution for food companies. According to the international sweetener industry data, stevia sugar has been widely used in Asia, North America, South America and the European Union countries in the production of food, beverages, seasonings. At present, China is the world's leading producer of stevia sugar. Stevia sugar is a natural low-calorie sweetener, its calorie value is only 1/300 of sucrose, intake of the human body is not absorbed, do not produce heat, diabetes and obesity patients applicable sweetener. Recently, our reporter interviewed Dr. Priscilla Samuel, President of the International Stevia Sugar Association, in which we introduced and shared the international development of stevia sugar and its application prospects in the food industry.: First of all, please tell us about the International Stevia Sugar Association..Priscilla Samuel: The International Stevia Sugar Association (GSI) was established in June 2010 to promote scientific research related to stevia sugar sharing and to provide nutrition experts, scientists, industry associations, consumers and international beverage and food manufacturers with professional information and expert advice on the scientific aspects of stevia sugar.: Is the regulation of sugar in food the same in every country?.Priscilla Samuel: Compared to China, European and American regulations on the use of high-purity stevia leaf extract have greatly reduced the amount of sugar calories in food. The reason for this is that the approved use of stevia stevia sweeteners varies from country to country and to the type or quantity of food and beverage.industry associations in each country need to conduct independent analyses based on their population science and food consumption patterns to determine which foods or beverages can use prescribed sweeteners (e.g. stevia sugar). Diversification of food forms between countries has led to different end results. And it constitutes the first factor of different kinds of stevia sugar in different foods.: Can you tell us about obesity and diabetes in Europe and the United States?.Priscilla Samuel: According to a 2014 World Health Organization report, 1.9 billion people worldwide are overweight or obese. That figure has doubled since 1980. These include 42 million overweight or obese children under the age of five.about 34 percent of adults in China are overweight or obese, according to the WHO. While this figure is lower than the WHO report's figure of about 67 per cent of overweight people in the US and 59 per cent in Europe, the proportion of overweight people in China is still high and will cause unimaginable concerns for industry associations.results show severe overweight and obesity, caused on the one hand by excessive calorie intake and, on the other hand, by low exercise or energy consumption. So globally, industry associations and governments are already asking food companies to come up with solutions that balance food calories to address obesity. Stevia sugar sweeteners can be an effective solution for food companies to develop foods and beverages that retain a good taste while reducing calories and sugar.: Stevia sugar was native to South America more than 200 years ago, what has stevia sugar evolved over the years?.Priscilla Samuel: Stevia sugar was originally born in South America and was first discovered in Paraguay. It is understood that local residents have been using it as a sweetener for hundreds of years. At present, stevia sugar is grown on five continents around the world. Most stevia sugars are currently from Paraguay, China and Kenya.: What are the certification regulators for stevia sugar? What is the international recognition of its security?.Priscilla Samuel: Japan approved the use of stevia sugar as a sweetener in food and beverages in the 1970s. Several major regulatory bodies around the world have reviewed this scientific issue and concluded that high-purity stevia leaf extracts, also known as stevia glycosides (sweet molecules in stevia plants or leaves), can be safely used as sweeteners for human consumption, including in special populations, such as children and pregnant women.Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization
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Joint Committee of Experts (JECFA), a global expert group of food ingredient safety experts, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared six or seven years ago that high-purity stevia glycosides are safe for human consumption.2011, the European Commission authorized the use of high-purity stevia glycosides in food and beverages in all EU countries. To date, more than 150 countries worldwide have approved the use of stevia glycosides in food and beverages, including China.The types of food and beverages may vary slightly from country to country, there are some differences in catalogues, and the levels of stevia sugar allowed for a particular type of product may vary, especially in countries that choose to develop their own catalogues of food and beverage categories to replace regulatory catalogues and levels. In addition, China allows stevia stevia stevia purity levels to reach 85% of the total stevia glycoside content and regulatory approval of 95% purity levels are also different.reporter: Stevia sugar has no advantages or disadvantages? And how is it assessed?.Priscilla Samuel: The most important thing is that consumers should know which substances are approved as sweeteners. In most countries, sweeteners are high-purity stevia leaf extracts and there are several different stevia stevia sweetener ingredients. In addition, the ingredients of sweeteners vary from company to company, and these sweeteners are a unique combination of stevia glycosides developed by food companies to achieve the best taste and make functionality within the parameters permitted by regulations..Reb-A sweeteners were the first stevia sugar sweeteners to be introduced. Today, many additive companies in the global market have developed and marketed a number of new and unique stevia sugar ingredients, all of which have improved taste, functionality, and role in the development of specific categories of food. For example, Spectrum has put on the market a product specifically for tea drinks and dairy products that tastes better than a separate Reb-A.: Data show that in food, beverage and other industries, the application of stevia sugar than the application of sucrose can save 60% of the cost. What are the reasons for the cost savings?.Priscilla Samuel: Stevia sugar is 200 to 350 times sweeter in sweetness, and only a very small amount of stevia sugar is needed to replace a spoonful of sugar or more sugar in food and beverage products. Stevia can save some companies money and, more importantly, help them develop low-sugar, low-calorie and natural ingredients that are popular with consumers, and reduce the hassle of some people controlling their weight by reducing their sugar intake and limiting their diet.addition, stevia sugar sweeteners are a sustainable ingredient. The production of stevia sugar can reduce the water footprint by 96%, compared with traditional sweeteners (e.g. sugar), based on the same amount of sweetness, its carbon footprint can be reduced by about 72%.in the long run, the demand for stevia stevia sweeteners in the consumer market has effectively led to the development of stevia farming, bringing higher returns to stevia farmers around the world. At the same time, the economic situation in the stevia-growing areas has been improved. Reporter: Despite its natural, zero-calorie characteristics, the bitter and licorice flavor of stevia sugar is undoubtedly a challenge for the pursuit of taste and flavor consumption. Does this affect the development of stevia sugar? .　　Priscilla Samuel: Reb-A Sweetener was the first stevia sugar sweetener to go on sale, with a slight aftertaste that some people can accept and some people don't. However, as mentioned earlier, since then, the global market has developed and marketed a number of new and unique stevia sugar ingredients, all of which have the effect of improving taste, functionality, and being used to develop specific food types. For example, the previously mentioned Spectrometry company has put on the market a specific tea beverage category and dairy category of products, that is, for different product categories in the application of stevia sugar differences, consumers have different preferences for taste, it is more superior than the single stevia glycoside Reb-A taste.
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