(7 Jul 2016) LEAD IN:
There’s a sweet spot growing in southern Spain’s Andalucia region.
Many farmers are now turning to Stevia – a plant that is widely being used as a natural sugar substitute.
While the Spanish industry is seeing new trading and processing companies beginning to emerge, there’s still several hurdles to overcome.

STORY-LINE:
Around 200 times sweeter than sugar and with a slight taste of licorice – this is Stevia.
Used widely as a sugar substitute, stevia is a fast growing plant that thrives in Malaga’s unique tropical weather.
Farmer Sergio Martin is busy cultivating the latest crop of plants in Malaga.
He and many other farmers are turning away from traditional agriculture and growing stevia instead because of the higher returns.
“Before I sowed my tomatoes, pepper, onion, potatoes… But the future of that kind of agriculture is very dark. So, I have chosen to change to another type of agriculture, to stevia. Because, it’s a plant that does not store pests. It has three harvest seasons per year. Now it’s four years since we seeded it and there is no need to seed it again. So, it’s more affordable, in the sense of being able to maintain it without big costs,” explains Martin.
The compound extracted from stevia is unique among other food ingredients because it doesn’t contain calories and it’s secure for diabetics because it doesn’t affect insulin levels.
Once stevia leaves are dry, they must be boiled in order to extract the sweetener (Steviol glycoside), also known as compound E-960.
In 2010, Granada University botany lecturer Jose Luis Rosua set up technology company SteviGran (acronym for Stevia and Granada) to process the leaves.
He explains the process: “We receive kilograms of dried leaf. Then we begin to boil it in order to extract its compounds. Obviously, after the first boil we get a product with these features (while holding a jar full of dark liquid extracted from Stevia plant) that does not have European Union authorisation. So, we must purify it. There are different stages during the purification process – micro, ultra and nano filtration – until we achieve a purified product like this (while holding a jar full of liquid that looks like water). This purified product can be sold diluted, as long as it has 95 percent steviol (glycoside). Or it’s normally sold as stevia pure powder.”
SteviGran processes pure stevia powder and turns it into pills to be used as a sugar alternative.
Jams, chocolates, even beer are some products that includes this natural sweetener from the Stevia plant.
With more consumers worried about calorie intake and the effects of sugar and artificial sweeteners, many are turning to stevia.
Some worldwide food companies as Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo have launched several drinks flavoured with stevia.
However, stevia isn’t as perfect as it sounds. Some chefs say it is difficult to work with as it doesn’t always mix well with other ingredients. It can also be hard to counteract its peculiar licorice flavour in certain recipes.
Some nutritionists are also calling for more scientific work on the impact and effects of stevia on the human body.
Professor José Miguel Mulet from the Agricultural Engineering and Natural Environment school at the Polytechnic University of Valencia says there is a lot of misinformation about stevia.
In the European Union, stevia leaf is not recognized as food product and farmers are not allowed to sell the plant or leaf to herbalists.
It is classified only as a raw material to obtain the sweetener.
In November 2011, the European Union legalized the sweetener extracted from the stevia plant, the steviol glycoside known as E-960, as a new food, but not the Stevia as a plant.

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