On 28 and 29 October 2010 ISANH organized the 2nd World Congress on Stevia & Stevia Growing.

After the opening words of Mrs Camilla Sandvik (European Commission – Directorate General Health and Consumers, Directorate C Public health and risk assessment, Luxembourg), Prof. Dr. Marvin Edeas (ISANH) opened the conference with a general outline of the effects of antioxidants on oxidative stress and hyperglycemia.

Next, Prof. Dr. Jan Geuns (KULeuven) presented an overview of Stevia and steviol glycosides in terms of their toxicological and pharmacological effects, including the newest results regarding their radical scavenging activity.

After a short break, Mr. Peter Paul Meli (Malta Enterprise) presented his company as a large contributor to attract foreign investors to Malta.

Next, Mrs. Olivia Sant’Angelo (Innova Market Insight) gave an idea of the developing trends on the Stevia market, especially focusing on the different labeling of food products containing steviol glycosides.

The last speaker of the morning was Mr. Jim May (SweetLeaf Sweeteners) who gave a passionate lecture about his lifelong experience with Stevia, his struggle with the FDA to get approval of the use of steviol glycosides in the United States and about the benefits of water extracted Stevia extracts.

After lunch, Mrs. Katja Obst (Technische Universität München)discussed in detail the sensory profiles of various Stevia extracts. Afterwards, Mrs. Claudia Scholten (Jungbunzlauer Austria)spoke about methods to improve the taste of Stevia by combining with other agents which are able to mask the bitter and liquorice off-notes of Stevia.

Dr. Etienne Jooken (KHBO, VUB)presented his latest results regarding the stability of steviol glycosides in diverse food matrices, including the modified methods to extract them out of food.

After a short break, Mrs. Justine Lord (Naturex) introduced Talin, the brand name for thaumatin, a natural flavor enhancer and taste modifier.

Mrs. Lucy Dahlgren (Bayn Europe) gave the last presentation of the day about the development of synergies to achieve a higher performance of Stevia knowledge and practice.

Her presentation was followed by a head panel discussion led by Prof. Dr. Marvin Edeas (ISANH), Mr. Jim May (SweetLeaf Sweeteners) and Prof. Dr. Jan Geuns (KULeuven). The idea of a World Stevia Organization was discussed, along with strategies to bring Stevia to the public and to translate the underlying science without losing credibility. The discussion was ended with an introduction of Capsentis, an information exchange platform which offers an opportunity to discuss Stevia and spread its knowledge to all levels of society.

The second day of the conference handled the topic of Stevia Growing: Opportunities & Challenge.

Dr. Sourabh Agarwal (India Stevia Association)gave a long lecture about the development of Stevia in India and about the system of contract farming as a solution to achieve a more farmer-oriented production of Stevia and steviol glycosides.

Next, Dr. Yaroslav Shevchenko (Technische Universität Berlin)presented a new cultivation practice based upon liquid sprout cultures of  Stevia. Compared to classical agriculture, sprout cultures of Stevia can be harvested more regularly, with higher yields of biomass and steviol glycosides.

The last lecture on Stevia was given by Mr. Stijn Ceunen (KULeuven). He discussed the biological factors influencing the accumulation of steviol glycosides within the plant and easy methods to achieve higher yields.

To close the conference, Prof. Dr. Marvin Edeas (ISANH) led a discussion to tackle the most important questions on Stevia. It seems that both the manufacturers and the consumers need clear and unambiguous answers as the European Union is nearing the approval of the use of steviol glycosides as food additives.

Finally, the Stevia Innovation Award 2010 was given to Mrs. Justine Lord for the development of Talin®. The Stevia 2010 Award was given to Mr. Angus Flood and Mr. Jim May of SweetLeaf.

Although technological and scientific advances are adding another few pieces to the Stevia puzzle, it became clear that there is still some work to do regarding the alignment of the different marketing strategies of Stevia. This way, all players will be well prepared for the final approval of the use of steviol glycosides in Europe.