The Sweet Story of diterpene glycosides- Steviosides

Stevia rebaudiana, a member of asteraceae family deserves a special attention in scientific community due to its twin focus: as a natural sweetener and as a therapeutic agent against diabetes. These two functional properties of Stevia rebaudiana have accelerated the commercial potential of this plant to a higher level than other plant system. This describes the biosynthesis of stevioside initiates from pyruvate by the enzymatic mechanism of DXS enzyme and it ends in the formation of glycosides by glycosylation using the marker enzyme Uridine diphosphate glycosyltransferases (UGT). The book opens a new world of understanding on the structural behavior of UGT enzyme and its importance in functionality of the gene towards secondary metabolism of the plant.