Stevia

How To Extract Sugar From Stevia

Max. D Gray
By Max. D Gray. Updated: January 16, 2017
How To Extract Sugar From Stevia

Stevia rebaudiana, a herb from the chrysanthemum family, grows wild in some parts of Paraguay and Brazil. Of the 300 unique species of Stevia plants, it is the only one rich in sweet glycosides and stevioside. As a natural sweetener, Stevia rebaudiana may be dried and crushed into powder, or made into syrup or liquid sweetener or extracted by means of alcohol or steam distillation. Alcohol extraction is preferred because it removes most of the sweeteners from the plant. Take note: it is not literally how to extract sugar from Stevia, it will extract the natural sweetener from Stevia. The sugar comes from a completely different source.

You'll need:
  • Stevia leaves
  • A measuring cup
  • Water
  • Paper towels
  • Knife.
  • Grain alcohol
  • Container
  • Strainer
  • Coffee filters
  • Pan
Steps to follow:
1

Wash two cups of fresh, organic Stevia leaves with clean, fresh water. Pull off any wrinkled or brown leaves. Place the leaves on absorbent paper towels to dry. You can buy fresh Stevia plants in many nurseries, garden centers and from online organic herb suppliers.

It is useful to have a Stevia plant at home as it has many medicinal properties.

How To Extract Sugar From Stevia - Step 1
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2

The next step to extract sugar from natural Stevia is to pierce the thick Stevia leaves with a knife. Cutting the plant breaks the plant fibers and cell walls, releasing glycosides for extraction. Cutting the leaves is similar in theory to grinding up apples before the extraction of cider. The more effectively the apples are ground, the more juice can be extracted.

3

Measure one cup of grain alcohol and pour over the stevia leaves in a container. Cover the bowl and let the mixture sit for 24 hours. Alcohol is an effective solution that removes much of the resins, glycosides and stevioside in Stevia rebaudiana. In addition, alcohol is a preservative and stabilizer.

How To Extract Sugar From Stevia - Step 3
4

Strain the liquid. Pour the mixture into a cheesecloth strainer for the first straining. To remove any smaller plant particles, strain a second time through a coffee filter.

5

Pour the infusion of alcohol extract in a saucepan. Place the pan on the hob and heat the mixture on a low simmer but do not boil. Heat the extract until most of the alcohol has evaporated. What remains is a concentrated extract.

How To Extract Sugar From Stevia - Step 5
6

Store the Stevia extract in brown dropper bottles. Because the concentrated extract (Stevia extract has 300 times the sweetness of sugar), the extract must be diluted before use. Dilution ratios are three parts water to one part of Stevia.

Now you can benefit from the medicinal properties of Stevia whenever you like.

How To Extract Sugar From Stevia - Step 6

This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.

If you want to read similar articles to How To Extract Sugar From Stevia, we recommend you visit our Drugs & supplements category.

Tips
  • Stevioside is a low-calorie all-natural sweetener which has a low glycaemic index, which means it does not cause a change in the levels of glucose in the blood. It is also heat stable and versatile for baking and cooking. The only exception is for baking bread. Stevioside will not chemically interact with yeast.

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How To Extract Sugar From Stevia