Agro-Biotech News

A new study from the University of Toyama has revealed why certain varieties of the natural sweetener stevia possess a cleaner, more sugar-like flavor than others. Sourced from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana plant, stevia can be up to 300 times sweeter than regular sugar, though some varieties leave an undesirable bitter aftertaste. The research team discovered that stevia's sweetness is fundamentally determined by specific glycosyltransferase genes and their localized, cell-specific activity within the leaf structure.