Sensory characteristics and relative sweetness of tagatose and other sweeteners

The present study investigated the sensory characteristics and relative sweetness of tagatose, an emerging natural low-calorie sweetener with various functional properties, compared to other sweeteners (sucrose, sucralose, erythritol, rebaudioside A), over a wide range of sweetness commonly found in foods and beverages (3% to 20% sucrose [w/v]). A total of 34 subjects evaluated aqueous solutions of the 5 sweeteners for the perceived intensities of sweetness, bitterness, astringency, chemical-like sensations, and sweet aftertaste, using the general version of the Labeled Magnitude Scale. The relationship between the physical concentrations of the sweeteners and their perceived sweetness (that is, psychophysical functions) was derived to quantify the relative sweetness and potency of the sweeteners. The results suggest that tagatose elicits a sweet taste without undesirable qualities (bitterness, astringency, chemical-like sensations). Out of the 5 sweeteners tested, rebaudioside A was the only sweetener with notable bitterness and chemical-like sensations, which became progressively intense with increasing concentration (P < 0.001). In terms of perceived sweetness intensity, the bulk sweeteners (tagatose, erythritol, sucrose) had similar sweetness growth rates (slopes > 1), whereas the high-potency sweeteners (sucralose, rebaudioside A) yielded much flatter sweetness functions (slopes < 1). Because the sweetness of tagatose and sucrose grew at near-identical rates (slope = 1.41 and 1.40, respectively), tagatose produced about the same relative sweetness to sucrose across the concentrations tested. However, the relative sweetness of other sweeteners to sucrose was highly concentration dependent. Consequently, sweetness potencies of other sweeteners varied across the concentrations tested, ranging from 0.50 to 0.78 for erythritol, 220 to 1900 for sucralose, and 300 to 440 for rebaudioside A, while tagatose was estimated to be approximately 0.90 times as potent as sucrose irrespective of concentration. Practical Application: The present study investigated the sensory characteristics and relative sweetness of tagatose, an emerging natural low-calorie sweetener, compared to other sweeteners. Study results suggest that tagatose elicits a sweet taste without undesirable qualities over a wide range of concentrations. Tagatose produced about the same relative sweetness to sucrose across the concentrations tested, while the relative sweetness of other sweeteners was highly concentration dependent. The present data provide a general guideline when considering the use of tagatose and other sweeteners in foods and beverages.     

The effect of frequency of consumption of artificial sweeteners on sweetness liking by women

ABSTRACT:  Research into sweetness perception and preference thus far has demonstrated that sweetness preference is related not to the total sugar consumed by an individual but the amount of refined sugar ingested. Research has yet to be conducted, however, to determine whether a diet high in artificial sweeteners contributes to sweetness liking and preference with the same result as a diet high in sugar. The purpose of this research was to determine if such a relationship exists with regard to diets high in artificially sweetened beverages. Seventy-one female participants were recruited and screened for sweetener consumption in beverages. Sixty-four of these individuals were selected for sensory testing. All participants evaluated orange juice samples (ranging from 0% added sucrose to 20% added sucrose) for liking of sweetness using a 9-point hedonic scale. Based on screening survey data, participants were categorized according to sweetener consumption group (artificial sweetener consumers and natural sweetener consumers) and by overall sweetened beverage intake (low or high, regardless of sweetener type normally consumed). Sensory data were analyzed to compare sweetness liking in each of these groups. Significant differences in liking were observed, with individuals in the high sweetened beverage intake group preferring sweeter orange juice than those in the low-intake group. Categorization by sweetener type resulted in no significant differences between the groups, indicating that regardless of the type of sweetener consumed in a beverage, liking of sweetness will be influenced in the same manner.     

Sensory Characteristics of Sucralose and other High Intensity Sweeteners

The sensory characteristics of the high potency sweetener sucralose were studied relative to sucrose, aspartame, saccharin, and acesulfame-K in a simple aqueous system. Trained panelists provided sweetness intensity estimates for each sweetener at six concentration steps using magnitude estimation. Taste profiles were obtained using category scaling procedures. Results indicated that (a) sucralose, aspartame, and sucrose had similar taste properties, (b) the psychophysical sweetness function of sucralose was similar to the other sweeteners studied, and (c) sweetness potencies of all sweeteners were concentration dependent with sucralose having the highest potency values ranging from 400–700 times the sweetness of sucrose on a weight basis.     

3种天然甜味剂的风味、生理功能及应用研究进展

大量研究数据表明肥胖、糖尿病和心脑血管疾病的发生与日常糖分摄入过多相关密切。因此,近年来高糖饮食引发的健康风险获得了各国政府与公众的极大关注,国际消费市场对传统甜味剂蔗糖替代品的需求急剧增长。由于消费者对化学合成甜味剂的安全性一直有所顾虑,甜度高、热量低、风味佳、兼具多重功能特性的天然甜味剂成为代糖产品开发研究的热点。目前已有部分口感与蔗糖接近的天然甜味剂产品实现了工业生产并应用于食品加工,在甜味剂行业展现广阔的市场前景。本研究主要针对应用潜力巨大的3种天然甜味剂甜菊糖苷、罗汉果甜苷与D-阿洛酮糖的风味、功能及在食品中的应用进行概述,为甜菊糖苷与罗汉果甜苷的风味改良以及D-阿洛酮糖的安全性评估等工作开展提供借鉴,以期促进天然甜味剂的食品应用深入研究。     

High‐intensity sweeteners in espresso coffee: ideal and equivalent sweetness and time–intensity analysis

The efficient substitution of sucrose by a sweetener in beverages requires the application of some sensory techniques. First, one must determine the concentrations of the sweeteners under study, equivalent in sweetness to the ideal sucrose concentration. In addition, it is fundamental to determine which is most similar to sucrose. The objectives of this study were to determine the ideal sweetness for espresso coffee and the equivalent concentrations in sweetness of different sweeteners, as well as characterise the time–intensity profile of each sweetener in relation to sweetness. The sweeteners evaluated were sucralose, aspartame, neotame, a cyclamate/saccharin mixture (2:1) and stevia. The sucrose concentration considered ideal by consumers was 12.5% (w/v), and the equivalent concentrations of the sweeteners were 0.0159% for sucralose, 0.0549% for aspartame, 0.0016% for neotame, 0.0359% for the cyclamate/saccharin mixture and 0.0998% for stevia. The time–intensity analysis indicated that possibly the sweeteners neotame, aspartame and sucralose would be the best substitutes for sucrose.     

Sensory Studies of High Potency Multiple Sweetener Systems for Shortbread Cookies with and without Polydextrose

Time-intensity (TI) sweetness and bitterness curves determined for six potent sweetener combinations with and without polydextrose were compared to sucrose in shortbread cookies. Hardness, fracturability and cohesiveness of shortbreads were determined. Sweetener combinations of aspartame/cyclamate, aspartame/cyclamate/saccharin, acesulfame K/saccharin, aspartame/saccharin/acesulfame K, acesulfame K/aspartame and aspartame/saccharin gave sweetener TI profiles similar to that of sucrose. Bitterness TI profiles were similar for all potent sweetener combinations but higher than for sucrose. Polydextrose increased hardness and fracturability and decreased cohesiveness of cookies compared to those made with high potency sweeteners without polydextrose. Textural characteristics of polydextrose cookies approached those of sucrose shortbreads.     

Sensory properties of some synthetic high‐intensity sweeteners in water solutions

BACKGROUND: When sucrose is eliminated from products to meet consumers' demand for calorie‐free products and substitutes are used, sweetness becomes an important characteristic. The objective of this study was to compare sensory properties of four sucrose substitutes: aspartame, acesulfame K, sodium saccharin and sodium cyclamate in water solutions. RESULTS: The lowest concentrations of sweeteners such as 0.35 g kg^?1 for aspartame and acesulfame K showed an equi‐sweet level relative to approx. 55 g kg^?1 aqueous sucrose solution, whereas 2.3 g kg^?1 sodium cyclamate and 0.4 g kg^?1 sodium saccharin relative to approx. 65 g kg^?1. Aspartame had almost the same sweetness potency as acesulfame K, whereas the remaining sweeteners differed completely. The four sweeteners showed their specific sensory profiles. Besides the characteristics of sweetness and bitterness, metallic and astringent attributes plus warming and cooling effects were found. CONCLUSIONS: Of the four sweeteners, aspartame and sodium cyclamate can be considered as the best sucrose substitutes due to their similar sensory profiles to the sucrose. The data showing the interdependence between sweetness intensity of the sweeteners and sucrose are useful as a quick and easy indicator of the sweetener amount having equi‐sweet levels relative to sucrose. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

SWEETNESS EQUIVALENCE OF DIFFERENT SWEETENERS IN STRAWBERRY‐FLAVORED YOGURT

ABSTRACT

To successfully substitute sucrose for sweeteners, further studies must be carried out based on previous knowledge of sweetener concentration to determine the equivalent sweetness of such compounds. In this work, sweetness equivalence of strawberry‐flavored yogurt with different sweeteners and/or their combinations (aspartame, acesulfame‐K, cyclamate, saccharin, stevia and sucralose) and yogurt sweetened with 11.5% w/w sucrose was measured using the sensory magnitude estimation method. The sweetness concentrations equivalent to strawberry yogurt sweetened with 11.5% w/w sucrose in the tested sweeteners were 0.072% w/w for aspartame, 0.042% w/w for aspartame/acesulfame‐K (2:1), 0.064% w/w for cyclamate/saccharin, 0.043% w/w for cyclamate/saccharin (2:1)/stevia (1.8:1) and 0.30% w/w for sucralose. These results can promote the use of different sweetener combinations in strawberry‐flavored yogurt, specially acesulfame‐K and stevia, once they produce more pleasing in this product.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

This study provides some useful information, since there is no data in the literature about sweetness equivalence of sweeteners in yogurt, but only in simpler matrices such as pure water, juices, coffee and teas. The use of stevia blend presented several advantages such as increased sweetening power, demonstrating the potential of this natural sweetener. The magnitude estimation method has been successful in this study, being an important tool for development of new low‐calorie products. It may be noted that when evaluating different types of food using the same kinds of sweeteners, these promote distinct characteristics and that reflect directly on the sensory quality of the final product. Thus, such studies generate important information for the food industries working with dietetic food.     

Sugar replacement in sweetened bakery goods

This review presents the state‐of‐the‐art concerning the application of natural and artificial high‐intensity sweeteners, fructans and bulking agents such as polyols as sugar replacers in sweet‐baked goods and their effects on product characteristics. The recent much publicised attention given to weight gain of the population and its consequences on the occurrence of diet‐related diseases in developed countries has influenced the food manufacturers attempts to provide the consumer with reduced energy products. The replacement of sucrose in sweet bakery products by alternative natural or artificial sweeteners can be a challenging issue. Sucrose as a main ingredient in sweet bakery products contributes, aside from providing sweetness, to numerous processing and product characteristics. Intense sweeteners have a high sweetness compared with sucrose but lack in their contribution to the body of the product, whereas the replacement of sucrose with bulking sweeteners may result in products with a similar body but a lack in taste and flavour.     

复合甜味剂在植物蛋白饮料中的应用研究

以新型高效的高甜度甜味剂阿斯巴甜和安赛蜜与低浓度蔗糖复配,通过正交实验筛选出适用于植物蛋白饮料的高品质复合甜味剂。以甜味剂的质量百分比浓度表示的最优复合配比为:阿斯巴甜0.0236%、安赛蜜0.0129%、蔗糖0.5%,该复合甜味剂中各甜味剂间有非常好的协同增效作用,甜度高,成本低,在饮料工业生产中有较大的实用价值。     

Application of multiple-sip temporal dominance of sensations to the evaluation of sweeteners

The dynamic sensory profile of sweeteners is of great importance for the industry during the development of low-calorie products. In the present work the influence of sucrose replacement by low-calorie sweeteners on the dynamic sensory profile of orange juice was evaluated using multiple-sip Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS). Seven orange juices with equivalent sweet concentrations of different sweeteners (sucrose, sucralose, thaumatin, and four samples of stevia) were formulated. A sensory panel of 12 trained assessors evaluated the samples using TDS over three consecutive sips, each lasting 20 s. TDS enabled the identification of differences in the dynamics of the sensory characteristics of the juices formulated with different sweeteners, which had not been identified using static measurements. Considering the dominance of the evaluated sensory characteristics over the three sips, the juice with sucralose showed the most similar sensory characteristics to the juice sweetened with sucrose, providing similar sweetness dominance over time without providing negative sensory characteristics. On the other hand, samples of stevia were characterized by a high dominance of bitterness and off-flavor. The consideration of multiple sips enabled the identification of changes in the temporal profile of the juices with repeated rapid ingestions. Results from the present work suggest that multiple sip TDS seems to be an interesting tool for the evaluation of sweeteners, the design of mixtures of sweeteners and the development of low-calorie products.     

Analysis of various sweeteners in low‐sugar mixed fruit jam: equivalent sweetness,time‐intensity analysis and acceptance test

For a sweetener to successfully replace sucrose in food formulations, studies must first be conducted to determine the concentrations of the sweeteners to be used and their equivalent sweetness compared with sucrose. After establishing the optimal concentration of each sweetener, it is necessary to determine which is more similar to sucrose. The objective of this study was to determine the equivalent amount of different sweeteners, necessary to promote the same degree of ideal sweetness in mixed fruit (marolo, sweet passion fruit and soursop) jam and to characterise the time–intensity profile and consumer acceptance. With respect to the mixed fruit jam containing 40% (w/w) of sucrose, sucralose presented the highest sweetening power, being 1033.59 times sweeter than sucrose, followed by sucralose/acesulfame‐K/neotame 5:3:0.1 (982.80), sucralose/steviol glycoside 2:1 (862.67), sucralose/acesulfame‐K 3:1 (847.45) and sucralose/thaumatin 1:0.6 (284.29). The sweeteners had a time–intensity sweetness profile similar to sucrose and a time–intensity bitterness profile different from sucrose but similar among themselves. In relation to sensory acceptance, a significant difference between the low‐sugar jam and the traditional jam was not observed.     

Physicochemical and psychophysical characteristics of binary mixtures of bulk and intense sweeteners

Correlating psychophysical characteristics with physicochemical properties of sweeteners is of relevance to the understanding of the origin of sweetener synergy, an essential parameter for the food manufacturer. Psychophysical evaluation was carried out on bulk sweeteners (sucrose and maltitol) and intense sweeteners (aspartame, sodium cyclamate, acesulfam-K, alitame) in mixtures. The concentrations of mixtures were calculated to be equisweet to 10% sucrose and sweetness intensity was evaluated by reference to sucrose solutions using a “sip and spit” method. While a positive synergistic phenomenon is observed for sugar/sodium cyclamate and maltitol/acesulfamK mixtures, a significant suppression effect is obtained when aspartame is added to sugars. Additivity is observed for sucrose/alitame and sucrose/acesulfamK mixtures. The origin of these differences lies in the influence of the two molecules on water structure and in the nature of their hydration. From physicochemical properties (intrinsic viscosity, Huggins coefficient, apparent specific volume, hydration number, surface tension and contact angle), alitame and aspartame seem characterised by hydrophobic hydration; sodium cyclamate, as well as the bulk sweeteners, appear more compatible with water structure and possess hydrophilic hydration. ACK is differentiated from other sweeteners by a negative hydration. Synergy occurs when components with identical types of hydration are mixed. This phenomenon is accompanied by an increase in the mobility of water molecules in the proximity of bulk sweeteners (maltitol and sucrose) and a reduction of volume of the hydrated solute molecule. Inversely, suppression and additivity occur when constituents of the mixture possess different natures of hydration, as in sucrose/aspartame mixtures, and when physicochemical properties show a reduction of the mobility of water around the sweeteners. For suppression effects, an increase in volume of the hydration sphere is also observed. Interpretation of the sweetness of mixtures of sugars and artificial sweeteners, in terms of their compatibility with water structure, is of relevance at an economic level in food formulations.     

EFFECTS OF COLOR AND SWEETENERS ON THE SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS OF SOFT DRINKS

College age panelists, 129 in number, evaluated an artificially cherry flavored soft drink which varied in color level, sweetener level and sweetener type, for overall liking, sweetness, color, flavor, tartness, and aftertaste intensity. Three two-factor, second order central composite designs were developed which contained either sucrose, aspartame, or aspartame acesulfame-K in a 60:40 ratio as the sweetener. Each design yielded nine drinks which had five color levels and five orthogonal sweetener levels centered around a commercial sample. Mean panel reponses for each sensory characteristic were subjected to regression modeling, producing a regression equation and a three dimensional prediction surface. Response patterns were then compared both within, and between sweetener types. Sensory responses were sensitive to manipulations of the two independent variables, color and sweetener. Increasing levels of sweetener increased sensory ratings for overall liking, sweetness, flavor and aftertaste, and decreased ratings for tartness. These effects were similar across sweetener types. Non significant effects of color were seen only on flavor, tartness, and aftertaste intensity, and were not found for all sweeteners.