Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How is stevia processed into a noncaloric sweetener?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Asteraceae
The flowering head of a sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is formed of yellow, petal-like ray flowers and a brown center of minute disk flowers.
Stevia is processed into a noncaloric sweetener by extracting specific sweet-tasting chemicals known as steviol glycosides from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant.1
While the leaves can be used fresh or dried to sweeten beverages and desserts, commercial production involves refining these leaves to isolate compounds such as stevioside and rebaudioside A. These extracted glycosides are highly potent, often measuring more than 300 times sweeter than table sugar. Because these compounds are nonglycemic and are poorly absorbed by the human body, they provide a sweet taste without contributing significant calories, leading to their classification as nonnutritive or noncaloric sweeteners.21