If you work in food, beverage, or ingredient sourcing, you already know that stevia extract is one of the fastest-growing natural sweeteners. Consumers want clean labels. Brands want sugar reduction without sacrificing taste. That's where high-quality stevia extract production becomes critical.
In this guide, I'll walk you through how to make stevia extract in a way that is practical, scalable, and aligned with industry standards. Whether you are a raw material distributor or a food and beverage manufacturer, this article will help you better understand the process, quality control points, and commercial considerations.
Why Stevia Extract Matters in Modern Formulations?
Before we dive into how to make stevia extract, let's look at why it matters so much.
Stevia comes from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana. It contains natural compounds called steviol glycosides, which are 200–300 times sweeter than sugar. The most important ones include: Rebaudioside A (Reb A), Rebaudioside M (Reb M), Stevioside. These compounds provide sweetness without calories. That makes stevia extract ideal for: Sugar reduction strategies and diabetic-friendly products
How to Make Stevia Extract?
1. Harvesting and Drying
The first step in producing stevia extract at an industrial scale is harvesting the stevia leaves. Stevia plants are grown in large fields, typically under controlled agricultural conditions to optimize yield and sweetness. Once the plants are mature, the leaves are harvested.
After harvesting, the leaves are carefully dried. This is an important step to preserve the active sweet compounds in the leaves and prevent any microbial contamination. In industrial settings, drying is done using specialized equipment like dehydrators or drying ovens that control temperature and humidity levels to maintain the quality of the leaves.
2. Extraction
Once the leaves are dried, we begin the extraction process. At Undersun, we use three main extraction methods, depending on the specific needs of our clients:
Water Extraction
Water extraction is the most common and cost-effective method we use to produce stevia extract. Here's how it works:
Steeping the Leaves: The dried stevia leaves are soaked in hot water, which dissolves the sweet compounds.
Filtration: The liquid extract is then filtered.
Concentration: The filtered extract is concentrated through evaporation, resulting in a thick, sweet liquid.
This method is widely used when a liquid stevia extract is required, making it ideal for use in beverages or syrups.
Alcohol Extraction
For clients needing a more concentrated stevia extract, we also use alcohol extraction. Here's the process:
Mixing the Leaves with Alcohol: Dry the stevia leaves and grind them into a coarse powder, then mix them with alcohol.
Steeping: Soak the mixture for a specified time to ensure that the sweet compounds are fully extracted.
Evaporating the Alcohol: The alcohol is then removed through evaporation, leaving behind a concentrated stevia extract.
This method results in a more potent extract, which is great for applications requiring higher sweetness levels, such as powdered stevia or supplements.
Supercritical CO2 Extraction
For clients who require the purest form of stevia extract, we also use supercritical CO2 extraction. This method is a bit more advanced and uses carbon dioxide in its supercritical state to extract the stevia's sweet compounds.
Pressurizing CO2: CO2 is pressurized and heated until it enters its supercritical state.
Extraction: This supercritical CO2 is then passed through the stevia leaves to extract the steviol glycosides.
Purification: The CO2 is separated from the extract, leaving behind a clean, concentrated stevia product.
This method produces a very pure and high-quality extract, perfect for premium stevia products.
3. Purification and Concentration
After extracting the sweet compounds from the stevia leaves, the extract often needs further purification to remove any remaining impurities. At Undersun, we use several methods to ensure our stevia extract is pure and consistent:
Filtration: We filter out any remaining plant material to ensure the extract is smooth and clear.
Chromatography: In some cases, we use chromatography to separate specific steviol glycosides like rebaudioside A, which is the sweetest and most desirable compound.
Concentration: The liquid extract is concentrated by evaporating excess water or alcohol, resulting in a more concentrated product.
4. Quality Control and Testing
Quality control is an essential part of the production process at Undersun. We have a dedicated team that performs rigorous testing at every stage of production to ensure that our stevia extract meets the highest standards. Our tests include:
Purity Testing: Ensuring that the extract contains only the desired steviol glycosides and no unwanted contaminants.
Sweetness Testing: Measuring the sweetness levels to ensure consistency across every batch.
Safety Testing: We test for any residual solvents, pesticides, or heavy metals to make sure the product is safe for consumption.
5. Drying and Packaging
Once the stevia extract is purified and concentrated, we move on to the drying process. For liquid stevia extract, we package it directly in drums or bottles for distribution. For stevia extract powder, we use spray drying to convert the liquid into a fine powder that is easy to store and transport.
Our stevia extract is then carefully packaged in food-grade containers to protect it from contamination. Whether in liquid or powdered form, the extract is ready for shipment to food and beverage manufacturers.
6. Storage
Finally, we store the stevia extract in a cool, dry environment, ensuring that it stays fresh and maintains its quality during storage and transport.
Why Food and Beverage Manufacturers Choose Stevia Extract?
- Supports sugar reduction goals: Ideal for low-sugar and sugar-free product formulations.
- Natural origin: Derived from the Stevia rebaudiana plant, supporting clean-label claims.
- Suitable for diabetic-friendly products: Does not significantly impact blood glucose levels.
- High sweetness intensity: Much sweeter than sugar, so you need smaller quantities.
- Good stability: Performs well under heat and across a wide pH range, making it suitable for beverages, dairy, and baked goods.
- Cost efficiency in formulation: Reduces overall sugar usage, which can lower ingredient costs.
- Meets consumer demand: Aligns with trends toward healthier, plant-based, and functional ingredients.
Why Choose Stevia Extract from Undersun?
At Undersun, we take pride in producing high-quality stevia extract that meets the needs of our clients in the food and beverage industry. Here's why manufacturers choose our stevia extract:
Natural and Plant-Based: Stevia is a natural, plant-based sweetener, unlike artificial alternatives.
Consistent: We use advanced extraction techniques and rigorous quality control to ensure consistency and purity in every batch.
Complete documentation: We provide comprehensive documentation including COA, specification sheets, SDS, flowcharts, etc.
Production Capacity: We operate a factory with an annual production capacity exceeding 3,000 tons, ensuring a consistent and reliable supply of products
Warehouse in the United States: We maintain a warehouse in the U.S. to facilitate faster shipping and better serve our customers.
If you are looking for a reliable stevia extract supplier or want to explore customized solutions for your formulations, feel free to contact us. Please contact us at email: herbext@undersun.com.cn
References
Prakash, I., DuBois, G. E., Clos, J. F., Wilkens, K. L., Fosdick, L. E. (2008). Development of rebiana, a natural, non-caloric sweetener.
Lemus-Mondaca, R., Vega-Gálvez, A., Zura-Bravo, L., Ah-Hen, K. (2012). Stevia rebaudiana: A natural alternative for sweetening.
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) (2010). Safety evaluation of steviol glycosides.
Gardana, C., Simonetti, P., Canzi, E., Zanchi, R., Pietta, P. (2003). Metabolism of steviol glycosides in humans.
Chatsudthipong, V., Muanprasat, C. (2009). Stevioside and related compounds: Therapeutic benefits.
Ceunen, S., Geuns, J. M. C. (2013). Steviol glycosides: Chemical diversity and applications.
