Executive Summary
A multinational food ingredient manufacturer required a fully integrated, GMP-oriented processing facility to produce premium Stevia Extract standardised to 80%, 95%, 97%, and 99% Steviol Glycosides, including high-purity Rebaudioside-A (Reb-A 98% & 99%) for the global food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical industries.
The customer required a turnkey plant capable of maximising glycoside recovery, minimising bitterness, reducing energy consumption, and ensuring consistent product quality while complying with international food safety and pharmaceutical standards.
Mechotech designed, manufactured, installed, and commissioned a Stevia Extraction Plant integrating hot water extraction, membrane filtration, ion-exchange purification, decolourisation, crystallisation, vacuum concentration, spray drying, solvent recovery (where applicable), and advanced PLC-SCADA automation.
Customer Background
The customer supplies natural sweeteners to beverage manufacturers, food processing companies, nutraceutical manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, dairy industries, bakery and confectionery manufacturers, and global ingredient distributors. Increasing worldwide demand for natural zero-calorie sweeteners required expansion into a modern automated production facility.
Customer Challenges
The customer faced several manufacturing issues:
- Low Steviol Glycoside recovery
- High bitterness in finished product
- Inconsistent Reb-A purity
- High water and energy consumption
- Manual purification processes
- Long production cycles
- Variable product quality
- Difficulty meeting international food regulations
- Limited production capacity
Project Objectives
The customer required a plant capable of:
- Processing 20 MT/day of Stevia Leaves
- Producing 95–99% Steviol Glycosides
- Manufacturing 98–99% Reb-A
- Reducing bitterness
- Improving extraction efficiency
- Reducing utility consumption
- Achieving GMP and HACCP compliance
- Supporting future capacity expansion
Raw Material
- Botanical Name
- Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni
- Common Name
- Stevia
- Plant Part Used
- Dried Leaves
- Moisture Content
- 6–8%
- Daily Processing Capacity
- 20,000 kg/day
Finished Product
Available Options
Applications
- Carbonated Beverages
- Functional Drinks
- Dairy Products
- Confectionery
- Bakery Products
- Tabletop Sweeteners
- Pharmaceutical Syrups
- Nutraceutical Products
Process Flow
Process Description
Raw Material Preparation
Stevia leaves are cleaned, inspected, and milled to an optimum particle size to maximise extraction efficiency while maintaining product quality.
Hot Water Extraction
Prepared leaves are extracted using purified hot water under carefully controlled temperature and residence time.
Advantages include:
- High glycoside recovery
- No organic solvent residue
- Food-grade processing
- Improved extraction efficiency
- Environmentally friendly operation
Primary Filtration
The extract passes through pressure filtration systems to remove suspended plant solids while preserving dissolved sweet glycosides.
Membrane Filtration
Cross-flow membrane systems remove fine suspended particles and colloids while maintaining high Steviol Glycoside recovery.
Benefits include:
- Improved clarity
- Lower downstream load
- Better product stability
- Reduced processing costs
Ion Exchange Purification
The extract passes through specially selected food-grade ion-exchange resins that remove impurities responsible for bitterness and colour.
This stage significantly improves:
- Sweetness profile
- Product purity
- Colour
- Taste
Decolourisation
Activated carbon and adsorption systems further improve product appearance and purity.
Vacuum Concentration
Clarified extract is concentrated using multi-effect vacuum evaporators operating at low temperatures.
Advantages include:
- Low energy consumption
- Preservation of sweetness
- Reduced thermal degradation
- High concentration efficiency
Crystallisation
Carefully controlled crystallisation produces high-purity Steviol Glycosides and Rebaudioside-A crystals with excellent particle characteristics.
Centrifugation
High-speed centrifuges efficiently separate crystals from mother liquor while minimising product losses.
Spray Drying
Depending on customer requirements, purified extract is spray dried into a fine, free-flowing powder exhibiting:
- Uniform particle size
- Low moisture content
- High sweetness stability
- Long shelf life
Blending & Standardisation
Finished products are blended to achieve customer-specific Steviol Glycoside and Reb-A concentrations before packaging.
Major Equipment Supplied
- Leaf Cleaning System
- Hammer Mill
- Stainless Steel Extraction Vessels
- Plate Heat Exchangers
- Pressure Leaf Filters
- Membrane Filtration Unit
- Ion Exchange Columns
- Activated Carbon System
- Vacuum Evaporator
- Crystallisers
- Industrial Centrifuges
- Spray Dryer
- Ribbon Blender
- Storage Tanks
- CIP System
- PLC-SCADA Automation Panel
- Electrical MCC
- Instrumentation Package
Automation Features
The plant incorporates advanced Industry 4.0 automation featuring:
- Recipe Management
- Automatic Batch Sequencing
- Temperature Control
- Flow Monitoring
- Membrane Pressure Control
- Resin Regeneration Control
- Crystallisation Monitoring
- Alarm Management
- Historical Batch Records
- Production Analytics
- Utility Monitoring
- Remote Diagnostics
GMP & Safety Features
The facility is designed with hygienic, GMP-oriented practice in view; the standards that apply to the client's facility and product are scoped per project. Key features include:
- SS 316L product-contact surfaces
- Hygienic piping systems
- CIP & SIP compatibility
- Food-grade elastomers
- Dead-leg-free process design
- Automated cleaning systems
- GMP-oriented layout
- HACCP-oriented design
- FSSAI-ready manufacturing
- Validation-friendly equipment
Plant Utilities
- Steam Boiler
- Cooling Tower
- Chilled Water System
- Vacuum System
- Air Compressor
- Electrical Power
- Soft Water System
- RO Water System
Sustainability Features
The plant incorporates environmentally responsible technologies including:
- Water-efficient extraction
- Heat recovery systems
- Low-energy vacuum evaporation
- Water recycling
- Minimal wastewater generation
- Energy-efficient membrane systems
- Optimised CIP water consumption
- Sustainable processing design
Customer Benefits
Following successful commissioning, the customer achieved:
- Higher Steviol Glycoside recovery
- Reduced bitterness
- Lower energy consumption
- Designed for efficient operation
- Increased production capacity
- Improved export acceptance
- Enhanced product quality
- Strong return on investment
Plants Used In This Project
Why Mechotech?
Mechotech is a global manufacturer of advanced extraction and processing plants for the nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, food, beverage, and specialty ingredient industries. Our expertise in botanical extraction, membrane technology, ion-exchange purification, crystallisation, automation, and GMP-oriented engineering enables customers to manufacture natural sweeteners.
Conclusion
The Stevia Extraction Plant from Mechotech provides a complete turnkey solution for manufacturing high-purity Steviol Glycosides and Rebaudioside-A. By combining advanced extraction technology, precision purification, intelligent automation, and sustainable engineering, the facility combines these process stages in a single turnkey solution.
Key Technical Highlights
- Raw Material
- Stevia rebaudiana Leaves
- Finished Products
- Stevia Extract (80–99%), Reb-A (98–99%)
- Extraction System
- Hot Water Extraction with Advanced Purification
- Automation
- PLC-SCADA with Industry 4.0 Integration
- Construction Material
- SS 304 / SS 316L
- Compliance
- Hygienic, GMP-oriented design with documentation to support the client's qualification; applicable standards are scoped per project
- Applications
- Food & Beverage, Nutraceuticals, Pharmaceuticals, Functional Foods, Tabletop Sweeteners
Why Global Manufacturers Choose Mechotech
- process engineering expertise
- Turnkey projects from concept to commissioning
- Pilot plants to commercial-scale systems
- High-efficiency extraction and purification technologies
- Energy-saving multi-effect evaporation systems
- Intelligent PLC-SCADA automation with remote monitoring
- Hygienic, GMP-oriented design with documentation to support the client's qualification; applicable standards are scoped per project
- Comprehensive validation, training, and after-sales support
- Customised solutions for global food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries
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