Stevia?

[legendin]

Hi, anyone who have experience with Stevia? My daughter, Roza, was offered chocolate by her teacher based on Stevia and Erythitol as the only sweetener and she actually ate half of the bar. I was chocked when she told me that, however it went well. No vomiting, diarrhea or abdominal pain. I read about Stevia and it seems to not be tolerated. It also contains oligofructose.

[Debra]

Hello,
I am aware of these products. They contain stevia and Erythritol which are both unlikely to be problematic. However, they also contain inulin which can be problematic for some. Here is a portion of a Wikipedia entry on Inulin:

Inulin is a heterogeneous collection of fructose polymers. It consists of glucosyl moiety and fructosyl moiety,[clarification needed] which are linked by β(2,1) bonds. The degree of polymerization (DP) of standard inulin ranges from 2 to 60. After removing the fractions with DP lower than 10 during manufacturing process, the remaining product is high performance inulin.[3][4] Some articles considered the fractions with DP lower than 10 as short-chained fructooligosaccharides, and only called the longer-chained molecules inulin.[5]

Because of the β(2,1) linkages, inulin is not digested by enzymes in the human alimentary system, contributing to its functional properties: reduced calorie value, dietary fiber and prebiotic effects. Without color and odor, Inulin has little impact on sensory characteristics of food products. Oligofructose has 35% of the sweetness of sucrose, and its sweetening profile is similar to sugar. Standard inulin is slightly sweet, while high performance inulin is not. Its solubility is higher than the classical fibers. When thoroughly mixed with liquid, inulin forms a gel and a white creamy structure, which is similar to fat. Tri-dimensional gel network, consisting of insoluble sub-micron crystalline inulin particles, immobilizes large amount of water, assuring its physical stability.[11] It can also improve the stability of foams and emulsions.[4]

Now humans do not have the enzyme to break down the linkages between the fructose units and yet I personally do not tolerate any foods high in fructose fibers? The only explanation that I can come up with is that perhaps there are bacteria in the gut that break these linkages and release fructose molecules. I am happy that your daughter tolerated this candy well. I avoid these products. I have considered contacting the makers of these to see if they would consider replacing the inulin with glucose based fibers such as maltodextrins. I've experimented a bit at home but creating a consistent product will take some time that I do not have yet.

[Debra]

By the way, I also checked with a food scientist and the natural fibers that occur in 100% cocoa are glucose based. So I eat 100% cocoa bars and use 100% cocoa powder along with pure glucose powder for treats.