CHAPTER 5:Presentation and Analysis of Other Constituents in the Leaves: Polyphenolics in Stevia rebaudiana Leaves

This chapter reviews data on the composition of secondary metabolites in Stevia rebaudiana leaves that can be classified as polyphenolic compounds. First, data on profiling of stevia polyphenolics is summarised presenting the main classes of compounds found in stevia namely chlorogenic acids and flavonoids. Second, the available quantitative data is summarised. This data clearly indicates that due to the beneficial health effects associated with phenolic secondary metabolites, the use of stevia leaf material as new food (containing these compounds in significant quantities) would offer some promise. Finally, interesting findings and observations made while investigating stevia polyphenolics are described including photochemical reactions in UV exposed plant tissue and statistical evaluations from available stevia data.