Polymeric adsorbents with both functions of adsorption and decolorization were synthesized by introducing quaternary ammonium groups (e.g. -N+(CH3)(3) groups) into conventional resinic adsorbent used to adsorb stevia glycosides in production. The relation between the adsorption capacity of the bifunctional adsorbents for stevia glycosides and the structure of adsorbents, and that between the decolorization efficiency and the structure were investigated. The results revealed that the adsorption capacity for stevia glycosides decreased somewhat as the increase of the content of quaternary ammonium groups in the adsorbent, while the decolorization efficiency increased. Adsorbents containing about 0.6-0.8 mmol/g of -N+(CH3)(3) groups showed both high adsorption capacity and high decolorization efficiency, and showed adsorptive selectivity for the small-sized components of stevia glycosides. Mechanism of adsorption and decolorization was also studied, and revealed that adsorption of stevia glycosides was based on hydrophobic interactions, but decolorization was based on both ion exchange and hydrophobic interactions. Introduction of -N+(CH3)(3) groups into polymeric adsorbent also changed the adsorption selectivity for various stevia glycosides, and thus the bifunctional adsorbent could be used to prepare stevia glycosides with high content of rebaudioside A. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.