DRYING, STORAGE AND VALUE ADDITION OF STEVIA (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) LEAVES
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Date
2010-07-15
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University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore
Abstract
Stevia rebaudiana is a herbaceous perennial plant and a natural calorie free bio-sweetener which can be a substitute for sugar in various food preparations, particularly for diabetic patients. Stevia has important role in medical research for treating diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, tooth cavity and skin problems. The leaves are highly perishable and need to be dried for short term storage. Therefore, a study was undertaken using different drying methods in order to find a faster and safer method of preserving the most labile phytochemicals. Four different drying methods were studied for reducing the moisture content to 3.95 % (db) from 419.74 % (db) namely shade drying which took 26h, sun drying took 6-7h, tray drying at 400C, 500C and 600C took 5h 45min, 4hrs 30 min and 3h 45min, respectively, whereas the microwave oven drying at power levels of 5, 4 and 3 took 10 min, 12 min and 16 min, respectively. Good quality dried stevia leaves in terms of biochemical properties and sensory parameters were obtained in the microwave drying at power level 4 and tray drying at 500C. The dried stevia samples were packed in three different HDPE packages (200, 400 and 600G) and stored for 2 months. The shelf-life of dried stevia leaves packed in 400 and 600 gauges was superior in all quality parameters but economically 400 gauge package was preferred. Value added product (dip-in bag) developed was on par with regular tea bag which is commercially marketed. The benefit-cost ratio for processing stevia leaves in tray drier (2) was higher than microwave oven drier (1.3).
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