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Creating Truvia™ natural sweetener through a well-managed agricultural supply chain - it all starts with the leaf.
Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is a small shrub native to South America. Stevia is a hardy pest-resistant plant that has proven adaptable to cultivation in many parts of the world. As a member of the Asteraceae family, stevia is related to such herbs and flowers as chamomile, tarragon, endive, lettuce, daisies, sunflower, and chrysanthemums.
For centuries, the Guarani people of Paraguay have used powdered stevia leaves, known regionally as Caa' hê-e' (meaning sweet leaf), to sweeten beverages. Italian-Swiss botanist Dr. Moisès Santiago de Bertoni (1857-1929) "discovered" the herb while exploring Paraguay's eastern forests. The sweet components found in the stevia leaf are up to 200 times sweeter than sugar and have no caloric content. Today, one stevia plant is capable of sweetening 30 cups of coffee.
The sweetness of stevia is increased by the plant's exposure to daylight - the longer the day, the sweeter the plant. Cargill agronomy and food technology experts have identified the sweetest compound of the stevia leaf, rebiana, which is removed from the plant in a process similar to steeping tea. Stevia leaves are harvested, dried, and steeped in fresh water. This unlocks the best-tasting part of the leaf, which is then further purified to make a food-grade ingredient called rebiana.
Stevia begins as a root cutting cultivated in local greenhouses. It is then transplanted as a seedling three to four inches tall to the field in early spring. In the field the plant continues to grow and increase in sweetness during the long summer days. By late in the growing season, the plant will have reached approximately four feet in height. The appearance of small white flowers signals the time for harvest. Once a stevia plant flowers, the plant stops producing the sweet components called glycosides.
Cargill agronomists are exploring ways to increase stevia farm yields and sweetness per acre in a manner that supports responsible land usage and conservation. While researchers have worked with the stevia plant for years and commercial operations have used it to sweeten beverages and foods, the stevia plant has never been farmed and harvested on a global market scale. More than 200 different varieties of the stevia plant exist. Cargill brings the depth of experience, resources and skills needed to commercially develop the stevia plants that will produce rebiana in multiple geographies on farms around the world.
Cargill is partnering with agricultural research institutions and farmers on how to identify the hardiest varieties of stevia, grow a consistent product and produce enough to serve a global marketplace. Cargill is actively working with farmers and agricultural communities on two continents, Asia and South America.
As Cargill develops this new business, it will help farmers increase yields, improve the quality and sweetness of the plant, and manage their use of agricultural inputs like water and pesticides. This involves everything from cultivar selection to land management, bringing best practices to small rural communities. As part of this program, Cargill will bring new opportunities for cash crops to small, rural family and cooperative farms.
The agronomy program is part of a long-term strategy to develop a sustainable global market for rebiana. Cargill is establishing a plant-breeding program where stevia will be studied to select for particular plant traits. As the market develops and the agronomy is better understood, productivity per plant, per farm, per acre or per hectare will improve.
As rebiana is two hundred times sweeter than sugar, smaller amounts of the product are required in food and beverages compared to other sweeteners. Improvements to the productivity of the plant - increasing the sweetness per square foot on the farm - reduce stevia's space requirements as well. Overall, this means that the "footprint" for rebiana will remain sustainable over the long-term development of the market.
Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., Cargill is an international provider of food, agricultural and risk management products and services. With 160,000 employees in 67 countries, the company is committed to using its knowledge and experience to collaborate with customers to help them succeed. For more information, visit http://www.cargill.com.
Media Contacts |
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|---|---|---|
| Ann Clark Tucker | Atalanta Rafferty | |
| Phone: 952-742-4057 | Phone: 212-994-7511 | |
| Email: Ann_Tucker@Cargill.Com | Email: atalanta.rafferty@rfbinder.com | |
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