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Here is an excert from EFSA's official website: (the full article can be viewed under http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/scdocs/scdoc/1537.htm) Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety of steviol glycosides as a sweetener for use in the food categories specified in the dossiers from the three petitioners. The steviol glycosides produced by the three petitioners are chemically defined mixtures that comprise not less than 95% stevioside and/or rebaudioside A. The three petitioners proposed that the specifications for the steviol glycosides should comply with the specifications adopted by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) at the 69th meeting. The petitioners indicated that all manufacturers use the same basic steps to extract steviol glycosides from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni plant, although there is some variation in the later stages of purification and separation of the glycosides. Steviol glycosides can be identified in foods and beverages by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) methods. Different studies assessed the bulk stability of dry steviol glycosides under various storage conditions and in food matrices over a range of pH values, processing conditions, at both room temperature and elevated temperatures. The photostability of the preparation was examined under dry and aqueous conditions. The Panel notes that in these experiments the extent of degradation of the tested steviol glycoside (rebaudioside A) that occurred ranged from a few percent up to 63% under different storage (pH and temperature) and food production conditions. The Panel notes that in presence of high temperatures (e.g. heating, baking) substantial degradation of steviol glycosides might take place. Stevioside as a sweetener was evaluated by the Scientific Committee for Food (SCF) in 1984, 1989 and 1999. The SCF concluded that the use of stevioside was “toxicologically not acceptable” due to insufficient available data to assess its safety. JECFA reviewed the safety of steviol glycosides (in 2000, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009) and established an ADI for steviol glycosides (expressed as steviol equivalents) of 4 mg/kg bw/day. (...) After considering all the data on stability, degradation products, metabolism and toxicology, the Panel establishes an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for steviol glycosides, expressed as steviol equivalents, of 4 mg/kg bw/day. Conservative estimates of steviol glycosides exposures both in adults and in children suggest that it is likely that the ADI would be exceeded at the maximum use levels proposed by the petitioners. Published: 14 April 2010

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