Steviosides are a class of natural non-nutritive sweeteners with high sweetness and low calories extracted from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, a plant of the Asteraceae family. Steviosides have multiple pharmacological activities in the body and are non-toxic. The objective of this study was to characterize stevia extract and select the optimum condition for extraction. The extraction process of stevioside from stevia leaves was investigated at different temperature, sample: solvent ratio and extraction time. The moisture content, density, pH, total soluble solids (TSS) and microbial analysis were determined, as well as the quantification of bioactive compounds using gas chromatography. Stevia leaves were proved to be a source of bioactive compounds and natural sweeteners.

Keywords: leaves of Stevia, stevioside, extraction, physico-chemical and microbial analysis.