ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SWEETENER PROPERTIES AND VARIATIONS IN BOTH FUNCTIONALITY AND FINAL PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS

Scientific research and media attention regarding possible health concerns related to high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) consumption has led to a negative consumer perception of this ingredient. Therefore, the baking industry, which commonly uses HFCS as a sweetener, needs to identify appropriate replacements. Even though invert sugar (IS) is nutritionally similar to HFCS, its use in product formulations would allow HFCS to be removed from ingredient lists. Light agave nectar (LA) and amber agave nectar (AA) are two potential replacement ingredients, with the added benefit of low glycemic indexes for products targeting the diabetic community. This study was designed to compare the sweeteners of HFCS, IS, LA, and AA for their effects on baked products using a cookie model. Instrumental analyses were conducted for the sweeteners, as well as doughs and cookies prepared using these sweeteners. The cookies were sampled at 0, 3, 5, and 10 days post-bake, to examine stability during room temperature storage. A consumer sensory panel (N = 68) was also conducted for the cookies. All of the cookies exhibited similar trends for changes throughout the sampling period. Comparison of the measured properties demonstrated significant differences (P \u3c 0.05) between certain cookies for diameter, height, pH, weight, moisture content, water activity (aw), and color (L*, a*, b*, H*, and C*). Ranges between the measurements of the cookie properties indicated that these significant differences may only correspond to minor variations. The cookies were not significantly different (P ≥ 0.05) for the textural property of hardness. Even though significant differences (P \u3c 0.05) in color were observed for the sweeteners, doughs, and cookies, the sensory panel results showed that consumer acceptability of appearance was not significantly different (P = 0.6228) for the cookies. The sensory panel also revealed that the cookies were not significantly different (P = 0.2459) for taste acceptability. Overall, the results of this study indicated that further research to compare these sweeteners should be conducted, with an emphasis on baking industry applications and processing feasibility for commercial food production