Is stevia safer than aspartame?
Since December 2011, the use of the sweetener stevia (E960) has been permitted in Europe as an ingredient in foods. But what is stevia, what does it taste like and is it safer than aspartame? We ask Maurits Burgering, business development manager at TNO.
1. What is stevia?
“The sweetener steviol glycoside (in the vernacular: stevia) comes from the plant stevia rebaudiana bertoni that originally comes from Paraguay. The plant contains steviol glycosides that can be used as a sweetener. The leaves may not yet be processed in foodstuffs. Stevia contains no calories. It E-numberfor Stevia is E960.”
2. What does stevia taste like?
“Stevia tastes 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar. Sugar tastes sweet right away, with stevia it takes a while. The more sugar you put in your yogurt, the sweeter your yogurt will be. This is not the case with stevia. If you put too much stevia in it, it will have a bitter, licorice-like aftertaste. Sugar is also added to various products to which stevia is currently added to mask the aftertaste.”
3. Stevia has long been known to be suitable as a sweetener. Why did it take so long for stevia to hit the market?
“Sugar was good. And there were plenty of other artificial ones.” sweetenerssuch as aspartame. Today there is an increasing demand for natural products. It is a long process before products can be brought onto the market. Stevia may not yet be used as an ingredient in all foods. The EU has a list prepared with products in which the use of stevia, or E960, is allowed.”
4. Is Stevia Safer Than Aspartame?
“Whether stevia is safer than aspartame is difficult to assess. Both sweeteners are approved by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The EFSA has carefully examined both substances and found them safe. Provided it is used under the right preconditions and that not too much is used. EFSA will continue to research and monitor the safety of these sweeteners in the future.”
5. You can only have a certain amount of sugar per day. Does that also apply to stevia?
“Yes, the EFSA has set an acceptable daily intake (ADI) for steviol glycosides of 4 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day. A 70 kilogram person can therefore consume 280 milligrams per day.”
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