Rebaudioside A (sometimes shortened to "Reb A") is a
steviol glycoside from the leaves of ''
Stevia rebaudiana'' that is 240 times sweeter than
sugar
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or do ...
.
Rebaudioside A is the sweetest and most stable steviol glycoside, and is less bitter than
stevioside
Stevioside is a glycoside derived from the stevia plant, which can be used as a sweetener. Evidence of benefit is lacking for long-term effects on weight loss
Weight loss, in the context of medicine, health, or physical fitness, refers to ...
.
''Stevia'' leaves contain 9.1% stevioside and 3.8% rebaudioside A.
The glycoside contains only
glucose
Glucose is a simple sugar with the molecular formula . Glucose is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. Glucose is mainly made by plants and most algae during photosynthesis from water and carbon dioxide, u ...
(to the exclusion of other commonly found
monosaccharides
Monosaccharides (from Greek '' monos'': single, '' sacchar'': sugar), also called simple sugars, are the simplest forms of sugar and the most basic units ( monomers) from which all carbohydrates are built.
They are usually colorless, water ...
) as its monosaccharide
moieties. It contains four glucose molecules in total with the central glucose of the triplet connected to the main
steviol structure at its
hydroxyl group
In chemistry, a hydroxy or hydroxyl group is a functional group with the chemical formula and composed of one oxygen atom covalently bonded to one hydrogen atom. In organic chemistry, alcohols and carboxylic acids contain one or more hydroxy ...
, and the remaining glucose at its
carboxyl group
In organic chemistry, a carboxylic acid is an organic acid that contains a carboxyl group () attached to an R-group. The general formula of a carboxylic acid is or , with R referring to the alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, or other group. Carboxylic ...
forming an
ester
In chemistry, an ester is a compound derived from an oxoacid (organic or inorganic) in which at least one hydroxyl group () is replaced by an alkoxy group (), as in the substitution reaction of a carboxylic acid and an alcohol. Glycerides ...
bond.
References
Glucosides
Vinylidene compounds
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