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Stevia Production Guideline

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 Stevia Production Guideline

Beemnet Mengesha
Weldemariam Geja
Zewdinesh Damtew

Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research

 Stevia Production Guideline

Beemnet Mengesha
Weldemariam Geja
Zewdinesh Damtew

©EIAR, 2014

Website: http://www.eiar.gov.et
Tel.: 011-646 26 33
Fax: 011-646 12 94
P.O.Box 2003, Addis Abeba

Technical support: Abebe Kirub

Copyediting and Design: Elizabeth Baslyos
Printing and binding: Abesolom Kassa, Wudenesh
Mamo, Meseret Kebede and
Mifetah Hargeta
 Table of Content
Pages
Introduction 1
Ecology 6
Soil type 7
Land preparation 7
Raised bed preparation 8
Propagation 8
Planting 9
Manuring and fertilization 10
Irrigation 11
Hoeing and weed control 12
Pests 13
Pinching 13
Harvesting 14
Drying 15
Threshing 16
Yield 17
Packaging 17
Quality requirements 18
Steps for Stevia tea preparation 19
Traditional preparation 19
Additional information 20
 Introduction

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) is a perennial herb that

belongs to the family Asteraceae. It is native to sub
tropical and tropical South and Central America. The
genus Stevia contains about 154 species; six species are
widely utilized that are Stevia eupatoria, Stevia ovata,
Stevia plummerae, Stevia salicifollia, Stevia serrata and
Stevia rebaundiana. From these, Stevia rebaundiana is the
one with significant sweetening properties.

The property of the species that called attention to the

plant was the intense sweet tests of the leaves and
aqueous extracts. Dry leaves of this plant are 30-40 times
sweeter than sugar with zero calories. The leaves of
stevia contain sweetening compounds (glycosides)
namely Stevioside, Rebaudioside A, Rebaudioside B and
Rebaudioside C and six other compounds which have
insulin balancing properties. Plants grown at higher
latitudes have a higher percentage of sweet glycosides.
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Beemnet Mengesha et al.

The sweeteners impart 250 times sweetness than table

sugar and 300 times more than sucrose. The glycosides
are extracted from the Stevia leaf as all-natural zero
caloric sweeteners; hence, stevia has been named as
calorie free bio-sweetener of high quality with non-
fermentable, non-discoloring, maintain heat stability at
100oc and features a lengthy shelf life attributes.

The product has been added to tea and coffee, cooked or

baked goods, processed foods, beverages, it can be
safely used in herbal medicines, tonics, for diabetes and
in the daily usage products like mouth washes and
tooth pastes. It can be used in chocolates and candies
not only to meet the market demand by the diabetes, but
also to harvest the added advantages of this herb that it
does not encourage tooth decay due to its anti-microbial
property, unlike the sugar (Sumida 1980). In the Pacific
Rim countries like China, Korea and Japan, stevia is
regularly used in preparation of food and
pharmaceutical products and currently stevia
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Stevia production guideline

production is centered in China with major market in

Japan. There is no negative clinical reports that have
papered in any of the countries where stevia is readily
available.

Many different uses of Stevia are already well-known:

as table sugar, in soft drinks, pastry, pickles, tobacco
products, candy, jam, yoghurt, chewing gum and to
make herbal tea. Likewise, it has documented properties
of anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-
microbial, anti-viral, anti-yeast, cardiotonic, diuretic and
hypoglycemic effect. Hence, it is a chance to diabetic
patients, hypotensive, tonic, and vasodilator.

Until 2009, stevia is found in over 6,000 products

including beverages, foods and medicines, and this
number is growing rapidly as stevia heads towards
mass commoditization like sugar and high fructose corn
syrup. Indeed, that growth is already under-way. Mintel
New Product Data-base confirmed that the number of
new product launches in 2010 increased by 200% over
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Beemnet Mengesha et al.

the previous year with product launches across 35

countries. Currently 160 million tons of sugar is
consumed annually worldwide valuing over $50 Billion
USD annually. World Health Organization estimates
stevia poised to replace 20% of the sugar market. The
market potential of stevia is moderate to high and its
prices for the herb ranges from ranges from $6.50
to$36.77 per pound (lb) on dry weight basis.

The present scenario is that people are more inclined

towards products advertised with a brand name "all
natural and low carbohydrate". Hence, stevia will also
have wider potential utilizations. Apart from this stevia
is nutrient rich, containing substantial amount of
protein, calcium and phosphorous.

What makes the Stevia plant so special is that it can be

used to replace sugar (sucrose), and due to the following
principal advantages:
 It is a completely natural product;
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Stevia production guideline

 The sweetener, stevioside, contains absolutely no calories;

 The leaves can be used in their natural state;
 Due to its enormous sweetening power, only small
quantities need to be used;
 The plant is non-toxic;
 The leaves as well as the pure stevioside extract can be
cooked;
 No aftertaste or bitterness;
 Stable when heated up to 200 degrees;
 Non fermentative;
 Flavour enhancing;
 Herbally it can be used by humans without negative effect
 Non-addictive sweetener for children.

Productions of stevia is affected by a number of factors

that mentioned below and requirements of contributes
are a lot for getting better benefits out of the cultivation
of the stevia.
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Beemnet Mengesha et al.

Ecology

Stevia has been successfully adapted to a wide range of

climatic locations around the world. It requires a range
of rain between 1500 and 1800 mm and temperature
extremes of -6oc to +46oc.

It is a semi-humid subtropical plant that shows higher

leaf production under high light intensity and warm
temperature. Day length is more critical than light
intensity. Long spring and summer days favor leaf
growth. Short days trigger blossoming. Stevia prefers
partial shade during considerable summer sunshine. In
Ethiopia it is found adapted well in areas having
altitudinal range between 1800 and 3000 masl and
temperature range between 6 and 25°c.
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Stevia production guideline

Soil type

Stevia requires very good drainage, any soils that retain

the moisture for very long period of time are unsuitable
for Stevia cultivation that should be religiously avoided.
Similarly black cotton soils with very heavy clay content
should also be avoided. The plant prefers a lightly
textured and well-drained soil to which organic matter
has been added. Red soil and sandy loam with a pH of 6
to 7 are best for the cultivation of Stevia. Saline soils
having a pH value of more than 8 are unsuitable that
should not be selected to cultivate this plant.

Land preparation

The land sites are plowed twice to prepare a fairly

smooth and firm-planting surface. Around 50 MT of
FYM/ha has to be applied as a basal dressing during the
last ploughing to incorporate the manure with the soil.
With proper drainage and irrigation channels the field
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Beemnet Mengesha et al.

needs to be divided into plots of convenient size for

effective management.

Raised bed preparation

Forming raised beds is the most economical way to

grow Stevia. The raised bed should be of 15 cm in
height. The distance between two rows should be
between 40 and 60 cm and that between each plant
should be 20 and 25 cm. This would give a plant
population of around 70,000-100,000 per hectare.

Propagation

Stevia is usually propagated by stem cuttings, which

root easily. Sweetness in leaves varies with varieties.
Therefore, cutting should be obtained from a source,
which is high in stevioside and low in associated
bitterness during propagation and mother plant
selection of Stevia. Experiments done at Wondo Genet
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Stevia production guideline

Research Center indicated higher but statistically similar

survival rate for the untreated control and the 0.2% IBA
treatment whereas the lowest values were recorded for
the 0.4% NAA treatment. Top cuttings demonstrated
significantly more leaves (eight) and survival rates
(80.18%) and showed a 46.78 and 28.49% increase in leaf
number and survival rate compared to middle cuttings.
Therefore, top cutting position with 3 nodes could be
recommended for the development of quality Stevia
seedlings using stem cuttings under good nursery
management. Seedlings can be ready for transplanting
after 2 months of nursery raising.

Planting

Stevia seedlings are planted on the middle of raised bed

having 15 cm height. The pots should be totally covered
by soil during planting of stevia seedlings on the
cultivation field. The space between ridges should vary
between 40 and 60 cm and a spacing of 20-25 cm should
be maintained between plants for the cultivation of
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Beemnet Mengesha et al.

Stevia. This would give a plant population between

70,000 and 100,000 per hectare. Depending on climatic
conditions, stevia is cultivable throughout the year
except for times when it is extremely hot (more than
+43oc) or cold (lower than-6oc). Planting time of stevia
should be done on the commencement of main rainy
season. It is also possible to plant in any time in areas
where irrigation is available.

Manuring and fertilization

The actual rate of fertilizer application will vary

according to soil type and production environment and
need to be optimized for each specific situation. Study
on nutrient uptake revealed that at the point of
maximum dry matter accumulation, Stevia plants
consists of 1.4 % N, 0.3% P and 2.4 % K.

Under average condition application of FYM at a rate of

50 t ha-1 and fertilizers N-60 kg, P2O5 30 kg and K2O 45
 11
Stevia production guideline

kg ha-1 is recommended. N is applied in three splits once

at basal and remaining two applications after first and
second cutting. Nitrogen application is a must for the
production of dry matters. Stevia plants also prefer high
level of phosphorus and potassium. Slow release
nitrogen sources are better due to requirement of low
level of N and steady release of N from source.
Sometimes stevia shows the symptoms of boron
deficiency, which leads to leaf spot and that, can be
rectified by spraying Borax 6 %. Since the feeder roots
tend to be quite near the surface, addition of compost
for extra nutrients is beneficial. Generally, total organic
cultivation is recommended.

Irrigation

Normally, the plant requires frequent, shallow

irrigation. Under the conditions of limited rain fall,
application of supplementary irrigation is required at
least once in a week when the tip leaves starts to droop.
Stevia requires ample supply of good water all year
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Beemnet Mengesha et al.

around. The plant cannot tolerate drought because of

this frequent irrigation is required. Micro sprinklers are
the best method of irrigation that would not supply the
required amount of water at the right time. So through
micro sprinklers, the water can be sprinkled once in a
day in wet seasons and two to four times in a day in dry
seasons depending upon the heat and relative humidity
in the air. Watering frequency should be scheduled so
that the plants do no wilt for want of water.

Hoeing and weed control

The crop also requires hoeing and weeding for the

control of weeds, removal of weeds should be done
manually. Since the crop is grown in raised beds,
intercultural operations are easier by manual labour.
First weeding and hoeing should be done 15 days of
transplanting and subsequent weeding and hoeing will
be done one month after the first weeding and hoeing.
Hoeing is also required immediately after harvest.
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Stevia production guideline

Pests

Cutworms and septoria are the most common pests of

stevia that are reported to cause considerable yield loss.
The experience at Wondo Genet indicated that the
existence of wilt on the crop and no other pests are
problematic on stevia plant. For managing the problem,
it is advisable not to irrigate the field frequently and
proper ridges in such a way not to create favorable
condition for septoria growth and development.

Pinching

It is a practice done to encourage new and bushy

growth, produce compact dense foliage and promote
healthy growth. Pinching also helps to prevent
breakage of stems during high winds. It is done by
cutting the growing tips of stevia plants every two to
three weeks for the first one month. During pinching,
the buds and one pair of leaves are removed by nipping
or using sharp and clean cutters.
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Beemnet Mengesha et al.

Harvesting

The first harvest of the crop can be in four months after

planting and subsequent harvest once every 3 months.
Some times 40 to 60 days after harvest are sufficient for
subsequent harvests. Short days induce flowering.
Optimum yield (biomass) and stevioside quality and
quantity is best obtained just at the time of flower bud
initiation. As days to harvest vary from place to place, it
is nice to harvest plants at the time of 50% flower bud
initiation. The easiest harvesting technique is to cut the
branches 5 cm above the ground level with pruning
shears before stripping the leaves. The tips of the stems
can be clipped off and added to harvest yield, as they
contain as much stevioside as do the leaves. On an
average three commercial harvests can be obtained per
year. It is better to cut the plants leaving about 10 cm
stem portion from the ground. This will facilitate new
flushes to emerge, which can be harvested as the next
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Stevia production guideline

crop. For domestic use leaves may be used fresh for tea
or may be combined with mint leaves.

Drying

Immediately after harvest the herb is dried. This can be

accomplished on a screen or net. The freshly harvested
plants can be hung upside down and dried in shade. It
can also be dried using simple drying racks inside
transparent poly house or transparent glass roofing or
by passing dry air just above room temperature.

Drying of the stem and soft green leaf material is

completed immediately after harvesting utilizing a
drying wagon or a kiln or done naturally in case of
large-scale production. Depending on weather
conditions and density of loading, it generally takes 24
to 48 hours to dry stevia at 400 to 500C. The drying
process does not require excessive heat; more important
is good air circulation. Longer drying time will lower
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Beemnet Mengesha et al.

the stevioside content of the final product. A home

dehydrator can also be used, although sun drying is the
preferred method. In any of the drying conditions, the
moisture content of the dried powder should be
maintained not more than 12%.

After adequate drying, the leaves are stripped of the

stems/twigs and packed and stored in cool, dry place.
For large-scale commercial production artificial drying
and threshing of the dry herbs to separate leaves may be
employed.

Threshing

Immediately following drying, threshing is necessary to

separate dry Stevia leaves from its stem. In most of the
cases, proportion of stem and leaf is the same after
threshing. To separate impurities and other impurities,
the powdered stevia leaves should be sieved with 2-
3mm sized sieves.
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Stevia production guideline

Yield

According to different reports, the dry weight of the

leaves can vary from 15 to 35 g per plant. In Ethiopia, a
dry leaf yield range between 7.26 and 9.04 g/plant was
recorded for the testes conducted at four locations
including Wono Genet, Awada, Chencha and Debre Zeit
during the year 2010/2011 and 2011/2012. According to
the different reports, an estimated 21,500 kg ha-1 of fresh
or 6,000 kg ha-1 dried leaf yield can be obtained. Of the
dried leaves, around 10% stevioside can be extracted. In
Ethiopia, a range between 9.07-10.35% stevioside
content was obtained for experiments conducted at four
locations for two years.

Packaging

Dry leaves are stored in plastic lined cardboard boxes,

sealed, strapped and labeled for further processing.
After powdering it is to be packed and leveled properly.
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Beemnet Mengesha et al.

Quality requirements
Table 1. Stevia quality parameters with European quality standard ranges

Parameters Ranges
Physical Aspect Dry leaves or leaf powder
Colour Green ( for the dried leaves)
White crystal ( for Rebaudoside A and
Rebaudoside B)
Visible impurities Abscent
Water content (%) <12%
Chemical Proteins Optimum 16 %
Lipids Optimum 2.6%
Crude fiber Optimum 6.8%
Total steviol glycosides Minimum 15 %
Stevioside Minimum 5% of dry wt.
Rebaudioside A Minimum 9% of dry wt.
Steviol <10 μg/g dry wt
Ash content (550°C; %) <8.5%
Nickel <2 mg/kg dry wt.
Arsenic <3 mg/kg dry wt.
Lead <3 mg/kg dry wt.
Cadmium <2 mg/kg dry wt.
Micro-Biological Purity
Aerobic mesophilic bacteria 7
Not more than 10 /g dry wt
Enterobacteriaceae 4
Not more than 3x10 g dry wt
Salmonella Absent in 25 g dry wt.
E. coli <10/g dry wt.
Bacillus cereus 4
<10 /g dry wt.
Residue Analysis
Pesticides < maximum levels of
Fungicides pesticides according to EU
-Others regulation 396/2005
Source: EUSTAS quality level
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Stevia production guideline

Steps for Stevia Tea Preparation

Use one teaspoon of Stevia powder for each cup of

water. Pour boiling water over herb in cup and allow to
steep 10 minutes. Strain tea (or allow settled powder to
remain in the bottom of cup) and drink warm.

Traditional preparation

Stevia is mostly employed as a sugar substitute. About

1/4 teaspoon of the natural ground leaves (or one whole
leaf) is the equivalent to about 1 teaspoon of sugar. A
standard infusion is sometimes used as a natural aid for
diabetes and hypertension; 1 cup is taken 2-3 times
daily.
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Beemnet Mengesha et al.

Additional information

Stevia leaf (at dosages higher than used for sweetening

purposes) has been documented to have a hypoglycemic
effect. Those with diabetes should use high amounts of
stevia with caution and monitor their blood sugar levels
as medications may need adjusting.

Stevia leaf has been documented to have a blood

pressure lowering effect (at dosages higher than used
for sweetening purposes). Persons with low blood
pressure should avoid using large amounts of stevia and
monitor their blood pressure levels accordingly for these
possible effects.

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