Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) is a low-calorie
plant, because it provides the body with only 2.7
kcal/g. This means that, due to its sweetening capabilities
(steviol glycosides are up to 450 times sweeter
than sucrose) and also the calculated energy supply,
stevia can compete with currently known and commonly
used sweeteners such as acesulfame K (zero
calories), aspartame (4 kcal/g), saccharin (zero calories)
and sucralose (zero calories) (Savita et al., 2004).
This situation results from the fact that stevia decomposes
only marginally in the gastrointestinal tract.