Purification and Separation of Stevia Glycosides from Stevia Extract by Adsorption Resin

Stevia extract Stevioside separation and purification resin Stevioside, also known as steviol glycosides, with a chemical formula of C38H60O18, is a glycoside extracted from the leaves of the Asteraceae plant Stevia.

Stevia is native to Paraguay and Brazil, and it has the characteristics of high sweetness and low calorie content. Its sweetness is 200-300 times that of sucrose, and its calorie value is only 1/300 of sucrose.

Its sweetness is 200-350 times that of sucrose, it has no toxic side effects, does not participate in human tissue metabolism, and is neutral and stable during food processing. In 2010, the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization approved steviol glycosides with a purity of not less than 95% for use as food sweeteners.

The traditional purification process of steviol glycosides includes processes such as flocculant impurity removal and clarification, macroporous resin adsorption of steviol glycosides, anion/cation exchange resin decolorization, and desalination.

The shortcomings of this process are: (1) the addition of coagulants introduces new impurities that need to be removed in subsequent processes, and the precipitate will adsorb some steviol glycosides, reducing the yield. (2) The regeneration of desalination and decolorization resin consumes a large amount of acid, alkali, and water.

The HPT103 resin developed by Haipu for the separation and purification of steviol glycosides has the ability to adsorb saponins, flavonoids, and alkaloids, with high selectivity and special affinity for plant pigments, endowing it with excellent decolorization performance. The steviol glycoside purification resin is mainly used for the extraction of steviol glycosides, ginsenosides, Sanqi saponins, Gynostemma pentaphyllum saponins, soy isoflavones, etc.

Compared to other traditional processes, resin adsorption is used instead of flocculant pretreatment and desalination processes to minimize the discharge of three wastes to the greatest extent possible; Moreover, the Haipu adsorption process is generally easy to achieve continuous production, with easy resin regeneration and significant economic benefits.