This week, in celebration of the American Chemical Societys National Chemistry Week and its theme of the Sweet Side of Chemistry: Candy, NSF salutes sugar molecules that can be far more than just “sweet.” Responsible for the sweet tasting leaves of the Stevia plant, steviol glycosides have become popularized as a no-cal alternative to sugar. With funding from NSF’s Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate, R. Graham Cooks at Purdue University has applied his mass spectrometer to studying (among other things) stevia leaves. In an experiment that rapidly detected the glycosides in stevia leaves, Cook’s group has developed a powerful method for the rapid screening of plant materials for other interesting or useful chemicals.
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 16:00:00 +0000
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