Stevioside Purification Process Removing Bitter Impurities
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing Stevioside and Rebaudioside A from the Stevia rebaudiana plant result in impurities leading to residual bitterness and unpleasant aftertaste, limiting their purification to non-highly purified grades, which are not suitable for commercial use in food and beverages.
Innovation Solution
A process involving water extraction of dried Stevia leaves, treatment with calcium hydroxide and iron chloride, followed by deionization, ultrafiltration, and alcoholic precipitation to achieve high purity Stevioside and Rebaudioside A, with purities of at least 98%, suitable for use in various food products and beverages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional extraction methods are used to produce Stevioside and Rebaudioside A, then the production process is simple and cost-effective, but the product contains impurities leading to residual bitterness and unpleasant aftertaste
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies extraction principle by removing impurities from the Stevia extract through a multi-step purification process. Specifically, the process extracts and removes bitter-tasting compounds and other impurities while retaining the desired sweet glycosides, thereby eliminating the harmful aftertaste characteristics without compromising production simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by adjusting pH levels during the purification process. The process involves adjusting the pH to specific ranges to precipitate impurities while maintaining the stability of Stevioside and Rebaudioside A, thereby improving taste quality through controlled chemical parameter modifications
2Object-generated harmful factors
If multiple purification steps are added to remove impurities and improve taste, then the taste quality improves, but the process complexity and production cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple purification operations into an integrated process flow. The combination of pH adjustment, precipitation, filtration, and concentration steps is performed in a coordinated sequence that achieves high purification efficiency without requiring separate complex equipment for each step, thereby improving taste quality while controlling process complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs phase transition principle by utilizing pH-induced precipitation to separate impurities from the desired products. By adjusting pH to specific ranges, impurities precipitate out of solution while the sweet glycosides remain dissolved, enabling effective separation through simple filtration without requiring complex chromatographic equipment
3Reliability
If high purity Stevioside and Rebaudioside A are produced through extensive purification, then the product suitability for food and beverage applications improves, but the production time and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves high purity products with moderate energy input by optimizing pH adjustment parameters and using controlled precipitation conditions. The process maintains energy efficiency by performing pH adjustments and precipitation at ambient or mildly elevated temperatures, avoiding the need for high-energy heating or cooling operations while still achieving commercial-grade purity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies self-service principle by utilizing the inherent properties of impurities to facilitate their own separation. The impurities naturally precipitate out when pH is adjusted to specific ranges, requiring minimal external energy input for separation. The process leverages the self-organizing behavior of the mixture components under controlled pH conditions to achieve efficient purification
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The process effectively removes impurities, resulting in Stevioside and Rebaudioside A with improved taste profiles, achieving high purity and suitability for use as sweeteners in diverse food and beverage applications, including low-calorie and low-cariogenic products.
Implementation Method 1
water extraction of dried Stevia leaves
Implementation Method 2
water extraction of dried Stevia leaves, treating the leaves to extract an aqueous liquid solution containing mixed sweet glycosides
Implementation Method 3
treatment with a base such as calcium hydroxide and then iron chloride
Implementation Method 4
treating the filtrate with a base such as calcium hydroxide, treating the extract with trivalent iron chloride
Implementation Method 5
The filtrate was deionized on, e.g., Amberlite FPC23H, Amberlite FPA51, and Amberlite FPA98Cl
Implementation Method 6
isolation and purification of Stevioside and Rebaudioside A were developed using alcoholic precipitation and ultrafiltration
Implementation Method 7
isolation and purification of Stevioside and Rebaudioside A were developed using alcoholic precipitation
Implementation Method 8
The filtrate is concentrated under vacuum and spray dried
Implementation Method 9
The filtrate is concentrated under vacuum and spray dried
Data Source
AI summary
Highly purified Stevioside and Rebaudioside A were prepared from sweet glycoside extracts obtained from Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni leaves. The resulting sweeteners are suitable as non-calorie, non-cariogenic, non-bitter, non-lingering sweeteners, which may be advantageously applied in foods, beverages, and milk products.