Extratos e frações funcionais de Stevia rebaudiana: identificação de compostos bioativos, avaliação da capacidade antioxidante, antidiabética e antilipídica

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.6612424102

• Palavras-chave: compostos fenólicos, UHPLC-MS/MS, amilase, lipase, extratos de estévia.

• Keywords: phenolic compounds, UHPLC-MS/MS, amylase, lipase, stevia extracts

• Abstract: The leaves and stems of Stevia rebaudiana are highly sought after for the production of sweeteners, as they provide natural sweeteners that can help control metabolic syndromes such as diabetes mellitus. The growing number of people with comorbidities such as diabetes and obesity has also led to a growing demand for foods and beverages with low sugar and fat content. Researchers have been demonstrating that the stevia plant has bioactive compounds, in addition to glycosides with sweetening power, which can have adjuvant properties and effects in these and other diseases, and which are often lost during the purification process, or are considered processing waste. Another byproduct of this plant that deserves attention is its stems, which represent approximately 30% of its total biomass and are considered a challenge for the sweetener industry. If ground together with the leaves or discarded, they represent additional costs, and if reused, they are not included in the human diet. Thus, this chapter reviewed and gathered published data and experimental data on stevia extracts and fractions, with bioactive potential to be used as possible adjuvants in the treatment of diabetes and obesity. These extracts and fractions are generally by-products or residues and thus this work can add important results to the literature that can contribute to the development and consolidation of the stevia production chain in a sustainable way and also contribute to the health, pharmaceutical and food sectors.