Re: What's a "stevia"?
- To: M*@ucdavis.edu
- Subject: Re: What's a "stevia"?
- From: "* F* D* <s*@nr.infi.net>
- Date: Thu, 8 Jul 1999 08:31:26 -0400 (EDT)
At 01:19 AM 7/8/1999 -0700, you wrote:
>"Stevia" is also a source of the new non-sugar sweetener much talked about
(I heard
>that Monsanto has bought a piece of that action, now that aspertame's patent is
>expiring and whichever (of the 150-odd?) species produce that sweet molecule.
>Aspartame. Whatever.... Presumably the plant breeding business is going
gangbusters
>trying to turn natural variation into either a standardizable row crop or a
bit of
>DNA that can be tucked into some microorganism, to produce the stuff
commercially.
>
>Heck, they could probably figure out the shape of the molecule and come up with
>something that works the same way but is entirely made of plastic (grin)
and make
>it into lipstick and dental floss ....
Hank & Carol:
Stevia rebaudiana (Sweet Herb of Paraguay) is the source of stevioside, the
sweetener you refer to. It is a very difficult plant to grow in quantity,
and the Japanese have tried to grow it en masse and to develop more
manageable strains.
There are some splendid Stevias from Texas and northern Mexico that would be
worth growing as ornamentals
Richard F. Dufresne
313 Spur Road
Greensboro, NC 27406
336-674-3105
