Steviol epoxide

Only the bacteria from the caecum or colon were able to degrade stevioside into steviol (caecum of mice, rats and hamsters colon of man). The bacteria from the human colon also formed steviol epoxid in vitro, that was again metabolised to steviol. However, in vivo this epoxid formation probably will not occur due to the anaerobic conditions of the human colon. It was correctly concluded that steviol is the only possible metabolite [3]. Anyway, steviol epoxid has been tested in mutagenicity studies and showed to be inactive [1]. 

Stevioside and five metabolites (isosteviol, steviabioside, 15a-hydroxysteviol, steviol-16,17a-epoxide, steviol) were isolated firom urine and blood and separated on a Ci8 column (.i = 210nm) using a 20-min 70/30 35/65 water/acetonitrile... 

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