BENGALURU: The University of Agricultural Science (UAS) has developed ‘Sihi Thulasi’, a zero-calorie substitute for sugar which is extracted from leaves of the stevia plant species. The product was released during ongoing Krishi Mela at GKVK.
The stevia plant is endemic to Paraguay in South America. “The leaves looks like Tulasi leaves. The leaves of some types of plants taste sweet while some were bitter. We started developing a combination of these two types to come up with the new breed which can give more sweetness. It took almost a decade to develop this breed. We named it Sihi Thulasi, ‘’ said M Vasundhara, Professor in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Department of Horticulture, University of Agriculture Science.
The leaves are dried and processed to make a powder. “A tablespoon of sugar contains 32-43 calories whereas the powder made out of the stevia plant contains almost zero calories. Instead of using one spoon, half or quarter spoon of this powder can be used as it is more sweeter than sugar,’’ she said.
Prof Vasundhara said stevia is not new to world, it is widely used in Japan. But it is new to India and to Karnataka. In Karnataka, it is grown in some six acres at Doddaballapur. “The sweetness derived from sugarcane grown in 30 acres is equal to that derived from stevia grown in one acre. The government is also giving a support price for the crop. These plants can be grown in pots on terrace as well as other places,’’ she added. The plants grow to a height of 70 cm and can be harvested in 60 to 90 days. In a year, the grower can harvest five to six times, but it is a water-intensive crop.
On its uses, Vasundhara said the leaves can be processed as a powder and also the syrup. “This can be used in preparation of many sweet dishes and also to make pastry, cake, biscuits too,’’ she said. At present, Sihi Thulasi is not available in stores, but can be got from the university department.