Extraction of various nutraceuticals of Stevia rebudiana from tissue culture system: An innovative business idea for young scientists

Abstract

Stevia rebudiana is commonly known as Candy leaf, Sweet leaf or Sugar leaf or Madhu Patrika due to its sweetened leaves. It is a native plant of Paraguay in South America having humid & wet environment. Various nutraceuticals like Steviol glycosides, antioxidants & flavonoids are found in this plant. Steviol gylcosides possess sweet taste so it can be helpful in diabetes, phenolic compounds possess antioxidant property which can be useful in cosmetics and flavonoids possess antimicrobial, antiobesity, anticancer & anti-inflammatory properties. The plant can be grown through tissue culture technique which produces large number of plants in short time period and during adverse climatic conditions (non-seasonal). Tissue culture can help the plant in producing phytochemicals as Secondary metabolites. Secondary metabolites are bioactive compounds produced by plants through their metabolism. During plant tissue culture these secondary metabolites accumulate into the medium. Alkaloids, phenolic compounds, glycosides are secondary metabolites which accumulate during plant tissue culture of Stevia rebudiana. So, plant tissue culture of Stevia rebudiana can be a profitable venture for young scientists.