## 8 Commercialization Status of Stevia  
The flavor of sugar (sweetness) is highly desirable in several food products. Until the 20 th century, sugar was considered irreplaceable due to its taste and sweetness. However, high consumption of sugar in everyday life has created some serious health concerns such as diabetes, obesity, and heart diseases. This has led to dependability on alternate sugar sources in particular aspartame, cyclamate, glycyrrhizin, sacchar, and steviol glycosides. These artificial sugars are known to be associated with increased health risks. Aspartame is the most widely used sweetener, and it may cause serious health issues, including cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and cardiovascular problems. Cyclamate forms a substance CHA, which was found to cause severe testicular damage. High doses of glycyrrhizin may cause pseudoaldosteronism, which may further lead to multi-organ failure in patients. saccharin was found to cause liver disorders and bladder cancer. Earlier reports also suggested that stevia is carcinogenic and highly unsafe for consumption. Later, dedicated research on stevia proved its safe consumption without any health risks [101]. Therefore, stevia is now considered the best third-generation calorie natural sweetener. Stevia and its glycoside's remarkable sweetening intensity (-300 times more than sucrose) have attracted the attention of various food and pharmaceutical industries. Steviol glycoside's high resistance to heat makes it an excellent choice as a sweetener for the baking and food industry. Its high absorption capacity makes it highly desirable for making bread and highly viscous food products. According to some studies, stevia has been shown to increase the shelf life of the bread by 5-7 days. Optimum stevia concentration increases the properties of bread yeast and improves bread quality [102]. Stevia products are low in glycemic index and thus beneficial for diabetes patients. These properties of stevia have widened its acceptability and adaptability in the food industry. The safe dosage of stevia is around 0.25-1 g for confectionery products and 25 mg for dairy products [103]. Stevia's use as a commercialized product has been debatable in several countries for years. Japan was the first country to commercialize stevia as a natural sweetener in early 1971. They have been using this product in various food products and cold beverages. Currently, Japan holds a significant share of the sweetener market. Eventually, stevia gained popularity in the US, and in 2008, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization's Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) approved the use of steviol glycosides. Later in 2008, stevia was also provided a GRAS (generally regarded as safe) certificate and was classified safe for consumption in the USA (FAO fact sheet, 2008) [104]. Following the trail, France approved the usage of Reb A in 2009. Finally, in the year 2011, SvGIs were approved by the EFSA in the European Union EU. At present, stevia consumption and market are approved in most countries. According to the latest reports, China followed by Japan is the leading producer of stevia. A few countries such as Australia and New Zealand have generated guidelines for stevia usage in a range of food products. In Australia, unprocessed and crystal forms of SvGIs are only allowed for commercial sale [105]. In 2007, in a joint venture, The Coca-Cola Company and Cargill commercialized Truvia, containing erythroid and Rebiana. Rebiana is known to produce a higher level of Reb A, which is much sweeter than other SvGIs. Later, in 2013, Coca-Cola Life drink was introduced in New Zealand and was launched in several other countries where stevia consumption was approved [106]. Eventually, Pepsico and Purecircle announce their brand PureVia for a stevia-based sweetener and also released their drink containing the natural sweetener RebA [107]. In 2017, SweetGen commercialized BESTEVIA RebM and RebD with a high purity grade at the global market.