An Iranian knowledge-based firm, Arta Sabz Sabalan Company, in Ardebil Province has been successful in planting and growing stevia using cell tissue culture techniques.
“Stevia is a green, leafy herbal plant that can be used for herbal tea and to treat diabetes,” Sarah Ghahremanzadeh, the firm’s CEO, told Mehr News Agency.
Native to South America, the plant has been used for ages as a sweetener in food. It has no calories, and it is 200 times sweeter than sugar in the same concentration. Studies suggest stevia has other health benefits including controlling hypertension.
Stevia grows best in highlands and sub-tropical climate; therefore, the firm decided to take the initiative to grow the plant species in the province, Ghahremanzadeh added.
“The plant can be grown domestically through tissue culture in few hectares,” she said.
Stevia can also be converted to powdered sugar, but it needs to be exported to a foreign country for the purpose as the process and technology are expensive in Iran.
She underlined that the company is the first to reproduce the plant in a cold region. The plant has now been commercialized and is ready to be mass produced.
