Steviol
Encyclopedia
Steviol is a diterpene
Diterpene
Diterpenes are a type of terpenes composed of four isoprene units. They derive from geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate. Diterpenes form the basis for biologically important compounds such as retinol, retinal, and phytol...

 first isolated from Stevia rebaudiana in 1931. Its chemical structure was not fully elucidated until 1960.

Steviol is found in the form of glycosides
Steviol glycoside
The steviol glycosides are responsible for the sweet taste of the leaves of the stevia plant .These compounds range in sweetness from 40 to 300 times sweeter than sucrose.They are heat-stable, pH-stable, and do not ferment...

 including the sweet chemical compound stevioside.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK