Process for extraction and debitterizing sweet compounds from stevia plants

Abstract

A method of extracting sweet compounds from stevia plant powder includes mixing stevia powder and deionized water to create a stevia powder slurry, filtering the slurry and adding it to an extraction column, adding an ethanol solution to create an elute, mixing the elute with activated charcoal and filtering the elute, removing the ethanol and water from the elute, and spraying the elute to produce the sweet compounds.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for extracting sweet compounds from  stevia  plant powder, comprising:
 i) mixing  stevia  powder and deionized water at a temperature of between about 45° C. and about 75° C. to create a  stevia  powder slurry;   ii) filtering the  stevia  powder slurry;   iii) adding the filtered  stevia  powder slurry to an extraction column charged with adsorbent polymer resins to provide a  stevia  powder material:water ratio in the range of between about 1:10 and 1:16 v/v;   iv) adding an ethanol solution having between about 70% and about 100% ethanol concentration to the extraction column, forming a mixture ratio of liquid slurry:ethanol in the range of between about 1:2.3 and about 1:3.75 v/v to discharge an elute;   v) mixing the elute with activated charcoal;   vi) filtering the elute;   vii) removing the ethanol from the elute;   viii) passing the alcohol-free elute through a water extraction device; and   ix) spraying the elute using a spray drying unit to produce a composition comprising the extracted sweet compounds.