Stevia rebaudiana

Stevia Rebaudiana is a small plant that usually does not exceed 50 cm in height; it’s a herbaceous-shrubby perennial plant that belongs to the Asteraceae (Compositae) family and is native to the mountains of South America. Stevia is traditionally used by South Americans, but also in many other countries, for its ability to sweeten; it has recently been authorized by the Italian Ministry of Health and in 2008 its use was approved by the FDA in the United States. In 2011 European regulation published the authorized use of Stevia as a sweetener. EFSA (the European Agency for Food Safety) approved its use by a standard maximum quantity of 4 mg/kg of body weight, which is equivalent to 280 mg a day for a 70 kg person. The principles that characterize the plant and give it that sweet taste are stevioside and rebaudioside A. Stevia is about 200-300 sweeter than sucrose, so a tiny amount sweetens like a teaspoon of sugar, but with zero calories.