Sweet stevia or surarleaf is perennial herbaceous subshrub which origin is in Paraguay. For many years behind, Indians from South America and then Spaniard were using it as a sweetener to fruit, drinks and wines. Gradually after that with sugar cane getting more and more famous, stevia fell into oblivion.
Nowadays, when millions of people suffer from diabetes, arteriosclerosis, cardiovascular diseases and caries, stevia properties let it take the leading role as a sugar substitute in diet and medical nutrition. Stevia does not contain sucrose, its sweet taste is determined by stevisoid glycoside, which is 25-300 times sweeter than sugar. In the human body this stevisoid is hydrolyzed to carbon and polypeptide under the influence of enzymes, and after that they are subjected to further digestion and absorption. Because of that stevia significantly differs from the other sugar substitutes, which do not include into the natural biochemical processes, but are completely separate from the body in an unchanged form.
Using of stevia is recommended to all – patients and healthy people, adults and children. Its frequent use decreases blood sugar content, cholesterol and radionuclides, increases immunity and improves cell regeneration and metabolism.
Stevisoides do not have side effects and do not cause addiction. Except them, stevia also contains substances with antimicrobial effect, which allows it to be used in the canning industry as natural preservatives and sweeteners. Stevia can be successfully used in home canning.
Before using it, dry stevia is cut into small pieces, but there should be kept in mind that the smaller the particles are, the brighter is the sweet taste of the final product.
In fruit canning, it is enough to add 10-12 leaflets to 1 liter of syrup. Stevia can be added in teas or herbal mixtures.
