Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran
2 Faculty of Engineering, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran
Abstract
The extraction of the sweetener steviol glycoside from natural plants such as stevia is recognized as a sustainable and economical method. This process is considered safe and environmentally friendly due to its natural origin and absence of harmful chemicals. Additionally, the extraction of steviol glycoside from plant sources like stevia provides significant opportunities for producing high-purity sweeteners at a reasonable cost. In the present study, the plant stevia was used as the raw material and source of steviol glycoside. Through screening various solvents—water, ethanol, and methanol—the ethanol solvent was ultimately selected, yielding 74.64% extraction of the sweetener, compared with 71.03% and 42.80% for methanol and water, respectively. Further, an experimental design based on Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was applied within a processing temperature range of 35–65 °C, a processing time range of 30–90 minutes, and an agitator speed range of 100–500 rpm to perform the extraction process. After optimization, results indicated that a temperature of 60 °C, a duration of 80 minutes, and an agitator speed of 325 rpm were the most suitable conditions for the extraction process, achieving the highest percentage of extracted sweetener at 82.79%. Following concentration and drying of the final product, a steviol glycoside concentration exceeding 85% was obtained.
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