Steviol glycosides are known as the "third largest sugar source in the world" mainly due to their unique properties and wide application areas.
Firstly, steviol glycosides are natural health sweeteners and medicinal adjuncts extracted from the herbaceous plant stevia in the Asteraceae family. It has the characteristics of high sweetness and low calorie content, with a sweetness of 200-450 times that of sucrose and only 1/300 of its calorie content. This characteristic makes steviol glycosides an ideal substitute for sucrose and widely used in industries such as food, beverage, medicine, daily chemical, and brewing.
Secondly, steviol glycosides have a pure white color, a suitable taste, and are easily soluble in water and alcohol. They have stable properties and are not easily moldy. These characteristics make steviol glycosides a popular sweetener that can meet the needs of different industries for sweeteners.
In addition, steviol glycosides also have the function of reducing viscosity, inhibiting bacterial growth, and extending product shelf life. These characteristics further enhance its competitiveness in the food industry.
Finally, as a natural sweetener, steviol glycosides have higher safety and health benefits compared to other synthetic sweeteners. With the increasing pursuit of a healthy diet and concerns about food additives, the market demand for steviol glycosides as a natural and healthy sweetener is also constantly increasing.
In summary, steviol glycosides are recognized as an ideal substitute for sucrose due to their high sweetness, low calorie content, good stability, high safety, and wide application fields, and are known as the "third largest sugar source in the world".