Stevia and its Commercial uses

In the early 1970s sweeteners such as cyclamate and saccharin were gradually reduced or removed from Coca-Cola's variant formulations.Therefore, Japan began to use stevia as a substitute, and the aqueous extract of its leaves produces purified stevioside, which was developed as a sweetener,produced the first commercial stevia sweetener in Japan.The Japanese have been using stevia in food and soft drinks (including Coca-Cola) .Japan consumed more stevia than any other country, and stevia accounted for 40 percent of the sweetener market.Stevia became popular in the U.S.natural food and nutraceutical industry in the mid-1980s as a non-caloric natural sweetener for tea and diet mixes.The manufacturer of the synthetic sweetener NutraSweet (then Monsanto) asked the FDA to require testing of the herb.As of 2006, China is the world's largest exporter of stevia products.In 2007, the Coca-Cola Company announced plans to obtain approval for the use of its stevia-derived sweetener Rebiana as a food additive in the United States by 2009, and plans to sell Rebiana sweetened products in 12 countries, allowing the use of stevia as a food additive.

In May 2008, Coca-Cola  a consumer brand stevia sweetener containing erythritol and Rebiana,which the FDA approved as a food additive in December 2008.In late December 2008.The Coca-Cola Company announced its intention to launch beverages containing stevia. Since 2013, Coca-Cola Life, which uses stevia as a sweetener, has been launched in many countries around the world. Shortly thereafter,their stevia-based sweetener brand, but did not release drinks sweetened with rebaudioside.A until they received confirmation from the FDA.

Industrial extracts 

Of all the steviol glycosides in the stevia plant, rebaudioside A has the least bitter taste.For the commercial production of steviol glycosides, stevia plants are dried and subjected to a hot water extraction process.This crude extract contains approximately 50% rebaudioside A.The various glycosides are isolated and purified by crystallization techniques, usually using ethanol or methanol as solvents.Dried extract contains not less than 95% steviol glycosides.Stevia extracts and derivatives are produced industrially and sold different trade names.