Monk Fruit Extract Research Articles

Temporal sweetness and side tastes profiles of 16 sweeteners using temporal check-all-that-apply (TCATA).

An increase in consumer awareness around the negative health impacts of consuming excess added sugars has led to a rise in the replacement of sucrose in foods and beverages. This replacement is often through the use of low or no calorie sweeteners to reduce total calories while maintaining sweetness and palatability. There are a wide variety of sweeteners with diverse physical and caloric compositions which can be used at concentrations estimated to be equi-sweet to sucrose in food products. However, many of the available sweeteners are known to differ in their temporal profiles and may have other side and aftertastes alongside sweetness that need to be considered when comparing their suitability as potential sucrose substitutes. The objective of the current study was to profile and compare the temporal sweetness and qualitative differences of 15 sweeteners to sucrose across nutritive saccharide (sucrose, dextrose, fructose, allulose (D-psicose), palatinose (isomaltulose), sucrose-allulose mixture), nutritive polyol (maltitol, erythritol, mannitol, xylitol, sorbitol) and non-nutritive (acesulfame-k, aspartame, sucralose, stevia (rebaudioside-A or rebA), luo han guo (monk fruit extract or mogroside)) groups, at equi-sweet intensity to 10% w/v sucrose based on a previous psychophysical dose-response study. Using the Temporal Check-all-that-Apply (TCATA) method, 20 participants evaluated a set of 17 sweetener samples (including a sucrose duplicate) in triplicates across three 1-h sessions for the occurrence of six attributes (sweetness, bitterness, metallic taste, chemical taste, honey taste and mouth-drying) over a 60 s period. Sucrose was characterised by a rapid sweetness onset (within first 10 s) to peak citation, and subsequent decay of sweetness with minimal side tastes noted. Acesulfame-K, stevia (rebA) and luo han guo had prominent and long-lasting citations of the undesirable bitter, metallic and chemical side tastes and significantly lower sweetness citations. Allulose, erythritol, sorbitol, aspartame and sucralose were perceived to have bitter, metallic and chemical side tastes, but retained a largely sweet taste profile, with longer residual sweetness for aspartame and sucralose. Nutritive sweeteners dextrose, fructose, maltitol, mannitol, sucrose-allulose mixture, palatinose and xylitol had the most similar temporal and qualitative taste profiles when compared to sucrose, in terms of their sweetness onset, peak sweetness citations, sweetness decay, and side taste profiles.

Food texture and sweetener type modify sweetness perception in whey protein‐based model foods

AbstractIn an effort to formulate healthier food products, sugar is often reduced or replaced with artificial or natural non‐nutritive sweeteners. However, the removal of sucrose often changes food texture, and non‐nutritive sweeteners inherently exhibit differences in sweetness quality, onset, and overall intensity. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of texture on sweetness dose‐response profiles of whey protein solutions sweetened with sucrose, sucralose, stevia, or monk fruit extracts, and to assess temporal progression of dominant attributes. Whey protein‐based model foods with different textural properties were generated without modifying composition by varying heating time. Dose‐response power functions and iso‐sweet equivalencies were determined using magnitude estimation scaling. Temporal profiles of dominant texture, taste, and flavor attributes were evaluated using temporal dominance of sensations (TDS). A significant texture‐sweetener interaction effect was observed (p < .05), where more viscous or semisolid textures required greater amounts of sweetener for iso‐sweetness. Moreover, the dose‐response slope decreased with increasing thickness for sucralose, stevia, and monk fruit‐sweetened textures. Results of TDS indicated that increased thickness prolonged the dominance of several attributes. This study shows that sugar reduction strategies are not universal; food matrix, sweetener type, and usage level need to be considered when attempting to modify texture or reduce sucrose.Practical applicationsSucrose reduction, use of nonnutritive sweeteners, and texture modification are all ways in which food manufacturers can increase the healthful quality of the food supply. However, these types of modifications can alter the overall sensory properties of a food. Texture‐taste interactions are not currently well understood, and knowledge in this area is important for designing ways to modify texture or reduce sucrose for health and enjoyment. The results of this study provide insight into texture‐taste interactions, indicating that sugar reduction or replacement strategies are not one size fits all and are likely product and sweetener‐specific.

The role of information on consumer sensory, hedonic and wellbeing perception of sugar-reduced products: Case study with orange/pomegranate juice

Reformulation of industrialized products has been recognized as one of the most effective strategies to reduce sugar intake and improve public health. Information about product reformulation can negatively affect consumer hedonic perception as a negative relationship between tastiness and healthfulness exists. In this context, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of information about sugar reduction and the use of sweeteners on consumer hedonic, sensory and wellbeing perception, using orange/pomegranate as case study. Samples of orange/pomegranate juice with different sweeteners (no added sugar, sugar, sucralose, stevia and monk fruit extract) were evaluated by 196 consumers under blind or informed conditions, following a between-subjects experimental design. Consumers in the informed group were presented the juice samples with their corresponding bottle displayed on a computer screen, including information about sugar content using the traffic-light system, claims on no added sugar and the presence of natural sweeteners. Consumers had to evaluate their overall liking and answer two CATA questions, related to sensory and wellbeing perception. Information increased consumer sensory and hedonic discrimination of the samples, particularly for the juice sweetened with stevia. Information influenced consumer perception of physical health and emotional aspects of wellbeing. Results from the present work suggest that the influence of information about nutritional characteristics of products and reformulation strategies seems to be modulated by the degree of difference between consumers’ sensory perception of reformulated products and their regular counterpart.

The Sweetness Technology of Sugar Substituted Low-Calorie Beverages

A perturbing increase in the number of diabetics and obese people in all age groups of the population has raised concern in the scientific and industrial community to develop low calorie or no added sugar beverages. Nowadays such sugar-free beverages are gaining popularity because of their inherent thirst quenching properties and fewer calories. Production of such beverages has been possible with the replacement of sugar and incorporation of artificial sweeteners which are low/free in calorie content. The sweetness technology for low-calorie beverages has attained strong commercial success with the safe use of non-nutritive sweeteners that deliver good taste quality. However, some considerations for their efficient use include their solubility and stability in beverage systems along with cost effectiveness. The assessment of non-nutritive sweeteners shows that high-potency artificial non-caloric, include synthetic sweeteners, i.e. aspartame, acesulfame-K, Cyclamate, Neotame, Saccharin and Sucralose whereas natural ones embrace Stevia and Monk Fruit extract. Each one has limitations for taste quality if used singly, i.e., short maximal sweetness response, “off” tastes or/and fast/slow-onset of sweet tastes. However, if used in combination their sweetness intensity increases and taste profile matches the sucrose. The beverage taste profile varies depending upon the type and combination of sweeteners. Optimum blend ratios harmonize the taste profile of specific flavor of beverage and are best determined by sensory testing various blends.

Comparison of Two Methodologies for Estimating Equivalent Sweet Concentration of High‐Intensity Sweeteners with Untrained Assessors: Case Study with Orange/Pomegranate Juice

AbstractThe estimation of equivalent sweet concentrations of high‐intensity sweeteners is one of the first steps for the substitution of sucrose during the development of low‐calorie products. The aim of this work was to compare two sensory methodologies (paired comparison and magnitude estimation) and two data analysis approaches (logistic regression and survival analysis) to estimate equivalent sweet concentration of high‐intensity sweeteners, using orange/pomegranate juice as case study. Three low‐calorie sweeteners were considered: sucralose, stevia and monk fruit extract. For each sweetener, a series of six orange/pomegranate juice samples with different sweetener concentration were prepared. Three groups of 100 consumers participated in the study. Each group was randomly divided into two groups of 50, each of which evaluated samples using one of the two methodologies (paired comparison and magnitude estimation). Paired comparison and magnitude estimation provided similar estimations for the three high‐intensity sweeteners which were in agreement with published data, regardless of the statistical approach used for data analysis. However, logistic regression and survival analysis differed in the accuracy of the estimations.Practical ApplicationsPaired‐comparison and magnitude estimation provided similar estimations. However, due to its simplicity and perceived ease participants, paired comparison seems to be the recommended approach for the estimation of equivalent sweet concentrations of high‐intensity sweeteners with consumers. Data analysis should be performed using survival analysis to obtain more accurate estimations.

Parents' and children's acceptance of skim chocolate milks sweetened by monk fruit and stevia leaf extracts.

Chocolate milk increases milk consumption of children, but high sugar content raises health concerns. Interest in sugar reduction and parents' preference for natural sweeteners necessitates further research on natural nonnutritive sweeteners. However, it is important to maintain consumer acceptability, especially for children, while reducing sugar in chocolate milk. The objectives of this study were to identify the sweetness intensity perception of stevia leaf (STV) and monk fruit (MK) extracts in skim chocolate milk (SCM), to evaluate STV and MK as the sole or partial sweetener source for SCM for young adults (19 to 35 y) and children (5 to 13 y), and to determine if information on natural nonnutritive sweeteners impacted parents' acceptability of SCM. Power function and 2-alternative forced choice studies were used to determine the iso-sweetness of nonnutritive sweeteners to a sucrose control in SCM (51.4 g/L, SUC control). Young adults (n = 131) evaluated 9 different SCM (SUC control, STV, MK, STV:sucrose blends, or MK:sucrose blends) in a completely randomized 2-d test. Children (n = 167) evaluated SUC control SCM and SCM with 39.7 g/L sucrose and 46 mg/L MK (MK25) or 30 mg/L STV (STV25). Parents evaluated SUC control, MK25, and STV25 in a balanced crossover design with a 40-d wait time between primed or unprimed ballots. Chocolate milks solely sweetened by nonnutritive sweeteners were less acceptable compared with SUC control by young adults. MK25 and STV25 were acceptable by young adults and children. The presentation of chocolate milk label information had different effects on parental acceptance. Traditional parents preferred sucrose sweetened SCM, and label conscious parents preferred SCM with natural nonnutritive sweeteners.