Sweetness Intensity Research Articles

Intense Sweeteners, Taste Receptors and the Gut Microbiome: A Metabolic Health Perspective.

Intense sweeteners (IS) are often marketed as a healthier alternative to sugars, with the potential to aid in combating the worldwide rise of diabetes and obesity. However, their use has been counterintuitively associated with impaired glucose homeostasis, weight gain and altered gut microbiota. The nature of these associations, and the mechanisms responsible, are yet to be fully elucidated. Differences in their interaction with taste receptors may be a potential explanatory factor. Like sugars, IS stimulate sweet taste receptors, but due to their diverse structures, some are also able to stimulate bitter taste receptors. These receptors are expressed in the oral cavity and extra-orally, including throughout the gastrointestinal tract. They are involved in the modulation of appetite, glucose homeostasis and gut motility. Therefore, taste genotypes resulting in functional receptor changes and altered receptor expression levels may be associated with metabolic conditions. IS and taste receptors may both interact with the gastrointestinal microbiome, and their interactions may potentially explain the relationship between IS use, obesity and metabolic outcomes. While these elements are often studied in isolation, the potential interactions remain unexplored. Here, the current evidence of the relationship between IS use, obesity and metabolic outcomes is presented, and the potential roles for interactions with taste receptors and the gastrointestinal microbiota in modulating these relationships are explored.

STUDY ON SWEETENER SELECTION IN RTD TEA BEVERAGES

Tea beverages are getting more popular in Indonesian market. Today, consumers can find tea beverage products in many variants, including ready to drink (RTD) tea beverages. One of the most important ingredient in tea beverages is sugar that provides sweet taste. Due to the increasing concerns on the risk of diabetes mellitus type 2, the Indonesian government has campaigned to reduce sugar consumption. This research purposes were to understand and analyze the type of sweeteners in RTD tea beverages and the producer strategy in reducing sugar. The study was conducted by collecting available RTD tea beverages in modern retail shops. All ingredients on the label was recorded then the correlation with other information on the label and regulation was analyzed. The results showed that all of the sweetened RTD tea beverages (n=58) use sucrose as the sweetener. Sucrose was used singly (81%) or in combination (17%) with other sweeteners. Most RTD tea beverages (60%) used sucralose in combination with sucrose. Others used steviol glycoside (20%) and fructose (20%). There were 24% of the RTD tea beverages that provides claim, 64% of the claim was regarding sugar and calorie. Based on the correlation analysis, it was concluded the tea beverage producers use three strategy in reducing calorie and sugar content in their products, i.e. by 1) totally removing the sugar content, 2) reducing the sweetness level, or 3) combining sucrose with high intense sweetener.

Suppression of Oral Sweet Sensations during Consumption of Sweet Food in Humans: Effects on Gastric Emptying Rate, Glycemic Response, Appetite, Food Satisfaction and Desire for Basic Tastes.

Suppression of oral sweet sensation (OSS) acutely reduces intake of sweet-tasting food due to lower liking. However, little is known about other physiological responses during both the prandial and postprandial phase. Here, we explored the effects of Gymnema sylvestre (GS)-based suppression of OSS of several types of sweet-tasting food (muffin, sweet yogurt, banana) on gastric emptying, blood glucose (BG), plasma insulin (PI), appetite indices (hunger, fullness and prospective consumption), satisfaction and desire for tastes. Fifteen healthy subjects (22 ± 3 years, 9 women) took part in the study. Subjects rinsed their mouth with either GS solution or distilled water before eating the sweet-tasting food. Subjects felt decreased sweet taste intensity and reduced taste liking associated with GS rinsing after consuming each food, compared with rinsing with distilled water (p < 0.05). Gastric emptying, BG, PI and appetite indices during and after the prandial phase did not significantly change with GS rinsing compared to rinsing with distilled water (p > 0.05). Higher desire for sweet taste as well as lower satisfaction (p < 0.05) in the postprandial phase were observed with GS rinsing. These results suggest that the suppression of OSS does not affect gastric emptying, glycemic response and appetite during and after consumption of sweet-tasting food.

What do we know about sugar substitutes?

Sweeteners are widespread primarily in the food industry. An attractive alternative to sugar. Their prevalence was driven primarily by food shortage during the war. The intense sweetener is permitted for consumption by specifying the ratio of ADI. Due to the chemical structure stands out semi-synthetic and synthetic substances. The most common sweeteners are saccharin, acesulfame-K, steviol glycosides, aspartame, xylitol. Sweet taste is guaranteed've been using a minimum amount of their low calorie. The aim of this review was to decribe the most common sweeteners The article emphasizes both advantages and diadvantages of sucrose's substitutes intake.

Sensory evaluation and volatile compounds of an alternative ready-to-use therapeutic food for malnourished children.

Ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs) are special foods used to encourage rapid weight gain in 5-year-old malnourished children, avoiding hospitalization. The factors affecting sensory characteristics and acceptability of RUTFs have been not adequately described. The aim of this work was to evaluate both the sensory properties and volatile compounds of four alternative RUTFs, varying in soy and sorghum, icing sugar, and oil content. Nine nonoral sensory attributes were evaluated by nine selected and trained assessors. The perceived intensity of five oral sensory attributes and the overall liking were assessed by 100 adult consumers. The volatile compounds were extracted and concentrated by solid phase microextraction and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. RUTF formulations significantly differed for graininess between fingers (size of granules) (P = 0.007), viscosity (P = 0.013), adhesiveness to the spoon (P < 0.044), and meltability (P = 0.005), but in consumers' opinion, they differed only for difficulty in swallowing, intensity of global odor, flavor, and sweetness. A positive correlation between overall liking and sweetness was found. Volatile compounds arising from lipid oxidation (hexanal and octanoic acid) were positively correlated with global odor and flavor. These attributes negatively affected the overall liking and were mainly contained in one out of the four formulations. Sensory and instrumental characterization identified key attributes for this kind of food, such as difficulty in swallowing, global odor, and sweetness, suggesting how to formulate an alternative RUTF to be used for a future clinical trial on malnourished children. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Starting from the world's need to fight child malnutrition, the present study tried to characterize alternative ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs), special foods used to encourage rapid weight gain in 5-year-old malnourished children, from several points of view, such as acceptability, stability, technological, and overall quality. Results obtained will be an aid to setup the technological conditions and scale-up parameters for local productions of RUTFs to be tested in real trials on malnourished children. Indeed, key sensory attributes that drive consumer acceptance for this special food, such as sweetness and difficulty in swallowing, came out from the present study.

QUALITY OF FUSARIOSIS-RESISTANT PINEAPPLE FRF 632, HARVESTED AT DIFFERENT MATURITY STAGES

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of the harvest maturity stages on the physical, chemical and sensorial quality of the pineapple genotype FRF 632. The fruits were harvested in the maturity stages “green-ripe”, “spotted”, “colored” and “yellow” and evaluated regarding fruit and flesh mass; flesh yield; fruit and crown length; diameter of the basal, middle and top fruit sections; flesh color; titratable acididy (TA); translucency; soluble solids (SS); SS/TA ratio; and sensory acceptance of the attributes color, aroma, flavor, texture/firmness, overall acceptance and intensities of the attributes sweetness, acidity and firmness, using the just about right scale. There was no difference for the majority of the physical traits of the fruits at the various harvest maturity stages. The fruits had average mass of about 1,100 g. There was a gradual increase in the content of soluble solids and the SS/TA ratio during ripening. The fruits collected at the “colored” and “yellow” stages had the highest approval percentages and were considered to have ideal sweetness and acidity by the majority of consumers in sensorial tests. However, the preference mapping revealed a greater preference for fruits harvested in the “spotted” and “colored” stages for all the attributes assessed, unlike what was observed in the test of average and approval percentage. Therefore, the physical, chemical and sensorial tests indicate that the fruits harvested in the “colored” maturity stage were most preferred by consumers, since they had high approval percentage, as well as ideal sweetness and acidity.

PGC1α Controls Sucrose Taste Sensitization in Drosophila

Perceived palatability of food controls caloric intake. Sweet taste is the primary means of detecting the carbohydrate content of food. Surprisingly, sweet taste sensitivity is responsive to extrinsic factors like diet, and this occurs by unknown mechanisms. Here, we describe an unbiased proteomic investigation into sweet taste sensitivity in the fruit fly. We identify a dopamine/cyclic AMP (cAMP)/CREB axis acting within sweet taste neurons that controls taste perception but is largely dispensable for acute taste transduction. This pathway modulates sweet taste perception in response to both sensory- and nutrient-restricted diets and converges on PGC1α, a critical regulator of metabolic health and lifespan. By electrophysiology, we found that enhanced sucrose taste sensitivity was the result of heightened sweet taste intensity and that PGC1α was both necessary and sufficient for this effect. Together, we provide the first molecular insight into how diet-induced taste perception is regulated within the sweet taste neuron.

Ternary Cross-Modal Interactions between Sweetness, Aroma, and Viscosity in Different Beverage Matrices.

Sugar reduction in food and beverage products involves several challenges. Non-nutritive sweeteners may give unwanted off-flavors, while sugar-reduced products often lack mouthfeel. To overcome this, the addition of aroma to increase sweetness through cross-modal interactions, and the addition of hydrocolloids such as pectin to increase viscosity, have been suggested as strategies to aid sugar reduction. However, viscosity has been shown to decrease both taste and aroma intensities. An increase in viscosity may thereby affect the use of aromas as sweetness enhancers. Additionally, the effects of aromas and hydrocolloids on sweetness intensity and mouthfeel depend on the food matrix involved. The present study investigated cross-modal aroma–sweetness–viscosity interactions in two beverage matrices: water and apple nectar. The perceptual effects of vanilla aroma (0–1 mL/kg), sucrose (2.5%–7.5% w/w) and pectin (0%–0.3% w/w) were studied in both matrices. For each matrix, cross-modal interactions were analyzed with descriptive analysis using a trained sensory panel. The effect of vanilla aroma on sweetness intensity was found to be higher in apple nectar compared to in water. Furthermore, pectin affected neither taste, aroma, nor the cross-modal effects of aroma on taste in either of the matrices. These results indicate that pectin, in the studied range of concentrations, may be used to improve mouthfeel in sugar-reduced beverages, without compromising taste or aroma perception.

Effects of Context and Virtual Reality Environments on the Wine Tasting Experience, Acceptability, and Emotional Responses of Consumers.

Wine tasting is a multidimensional experience that includes contextual information from tasting environments. Formal sensory tastings are limited by the use of booths that lack ecological validity and engagement. Virtual reality (VR) can overcome this limitation by simulating different environmental contexts. Perception, sensory acceptability, and emotional responses of a Cabernet Sauvignon wine under traditional sensory booths, contextual environments, and VR simulations were evaluated and compared. Participants (N = 53) performed evaluations under five conditions: (1) traditional booths, (2) bright-restaurant (real environment with bright lights), (3) dark-restaurant (real environment with dimly lit candles), (4) bright-VR (VR restaurant with bright lights), and (5) dark-VR (VR restaurant with dimly lit candles). Participants rated the acceptability of aroma, sweetness, acidity, astringency, mouthfeel, aftertaste, and overall liking (9-point hedonic scale), and intensities of sweetness, acidity, and astringency (15-point unstructured line-scale). Results showed that context (booths, real, or VR) affected the perception of the wine’s floral aroma (dark-VR = 8.6 vs. booths = 7.5). Liking of the sensory attributes did not change under different environmental conditions. Emotional responses under bright-VR were associated with “free”, “glad”, and “enthusiastic”; however, under traditional booths, they were related to “polite” and “secure”. “Nostalgic” and “daring” were associated with dark-VR. VR can be used to understand contextual effects on consumer perceptions.

Manipulation of sensory characteristics and volatile compounds in strawberry fruit through the use of isolated wavelengths of light.

Consumers consistently note that there is room for improvement in the flavor of commercial strawberries. Fruit flavor and aroma are affected by both genetics and environment. This work tests the hypothesis that sensory quality may be manipulated using postharvest light treatments. Individual detached fruits representing two different cultivars received a 24-hr treatment of 100µmol m-2 s-1 blue LED light while the control was kept in complete darkness. Following treatment, samples were analyzed for flavor volatiles, sugars, acids, firmness, and sensory differences in human trials. Fruits were rated for overall liking, texture, sweetness, sourness, and overall strawberry flavor intensity (OSFI) on the sensory and hedonic versions of the global intensity scale (GIS). A positive treatment effect was observed for "Strawberry Festival" fruit for the overall liking rating. A triangle test revealed a significant treatment effect, as light-treated fruit tested higher in many flavor volatiles including those known to contribute to sweetness in strawberries. Levels of several volatiles were consistently higher in the treated fruit across all four harvests: acetic acid hexyl ester, butanoic acid octyl ester, methyl isovalerate, and pentanoic acid ethyl ester. The results show that postharvest light treatment can be used to modulate sensory quality of fruit, perhaps offering a means to complement genetic efforts in fruit flavor and aroma improvement. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The results indicate that it may be possible to increase the sensory quality of strawberry fruits using an inexpensive and noninvasive light treatment. Light may be applied during transport or storage to improve fruit quality. This concept could also be extended into other realms of storage, such as residential and commercial refrigeration, further increasing the quality impact of the approach.

Trends in use, pharmacology, and clinical applications of emerging herbal nutraceuticals.

The nutraceuticals market is vast, encompassing many different products with inconsistent levels of evidence available to support their use. This overview represents a Western perspective of the nutraceuticals market, with a brief comparison with that in China, as an illustration of how individual health supplements increase and decrease in popularity in regional terms. Recent changes in sales patterns, mainly taken from the US market, are summarized and a selection of five newer products, which have not been subject to extensive recent review are profiled: astaxanthin, a carotenoid found in red algae, seafood, salmon and trout, as an antioxidant; cannabidiol, a non-euphoric marijuana ingredient used as mood enhancer and for painful/inflammatory conditions; modified extracts of ginseng used in new indications including dementia and space travel; monk fruit, a non-sugar high intensity sweetener and nigella seed, a popular food ingredient and Asian medicine, which has experienced an extraordinary rise in sales recently. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed section on The Pharmacology of Nutraceuticals. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v177.6/issuetoc.

Individual Differences in Sweetness Ratings and Cross-Modal Aroma-Taste Interactions.

Aroma-taste interactions, which are believed to occur due to previous coexposure (concurrent presence of aroma and taste), have been suggested as a strategy to aid sugar reduction in food and beverages. However, coexposures might be influenced by individual differences. We therefore hypothesized that aroma-taste interactions vary across individuals. The present study investigated how individual differences (gender, age, and sweet liker status) influenced the effect of aroma on sweetness intensity among young adults. An initial screening of five aromas, all congruent with sweet taste, for their sweetness enhancing effect was carried out using descriptive analysis. Among the aromas tested, vanilla was found most promising for its sweet enhancing effects and was therefore tested across three sucrose concentrations by 129 young adults. Among the subjects tested, females were found to be more susceptible to the sweetness enhancing effect of vanilla aroma than males. For males, the addition of vanilla aroma increased the sweet taste ratings significantly for the 22–25-year-olds, but not the 19–21-year-olds. Consumers were clustered according to their sweet liker status based on their liking for the samples. Although sweet taste ratings were found to vary with the sweet liker status, aroma enhanced the sweetness ratings similarly across clusters. These results call for more targeted product development in order to aid sugar reduction.

Differential Cerebral Gustatory Responses to Sucrose, Aspartame, and Stevia Using Gustatory Evoked Potentials in Humans.

Aspartame and Stevia are widely substituted for sugar. Little is known about cerebral activation in response to low-caloric sweeteners in comparison with high-caloric sugar, whereas these molecules lead to different metabolic effects. We aimed to compare gustatory evoked potentials (GEPs) obtained in response to sucrose solution in young, healthy subjects, with GEPs obtained in response to aspartame and Stevia. Twenty healthy volunteers were randomly stimulated with three solutions of similar intensities of sweetness: Sucrose 10 g/100 mL of water, aspartame 0.05 g/100 mL, and Stevia 0.03 g/100 mL. GEPs were recorded with EEG (Electroencephalogram) electrodes. Hedonic values of each solution were evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS). The main result was that P1 latencies of GEPs were significantly shorter when subjects were stimulated by the sucrose solution than when they were stimulated by either the aspartame or the Stevia one. P1 latencies were also significantly shorter when subjects were stimulated by the aspartame solution than the Stevia one. No significant correlation was noted between GEP parameters and hedonic values marked by VAS. Although sucrose, aspartame, and Stevia lead to the same taste perception, cerebral activation by these three sweet solutions are different according to GEPs recording. Besides differences of taste receptors and cerebral areas activated by these substances, neural plasticity, and change in synaptic connections related to sweet innate preference and sweet conditioning, could be the best hypothesis to explain the differences in cerebral gustatory processing after sucrose and sweeteners activation.

Thaumatococcus daniellii phenology and growing degree day requirements under different irradiance and fertiliser levels

AbstractThaumatococcus daniellii is a rhizomatous monocotyledonous, perennial herb species of the Marantaceae family. The fruit aril contains thaumatin, a sweet protein with sweetness intensity that is about 1,600–3,000 times that of sucrose and is extensively employed as a natural sweetener. The species has potential as an imperative economic crop if cultivated under proper agronomic practices. Phenological development and thermal time requirements are critical to ensuring a high yield. The aim of this study was to determine the phenological stages according to the BBCH scale and growing degree days (GDDs) under different irradiance and fertiliser levels. Seedlings were raised from rhizomes and grown on the field using a randomised complete block design with four treatments and three replications. The study was carried out at the Botanical Garden, Shah Alam, Malaysia, from July 2014 to February 2017. The treatments consisted of combinations of two irradiance and two fertiliser levels, which were designated as high irradiance with either low (T1) or high fertiliser (T2) and low irradiance with either low (T3) or high fertiliser (T4). A detailed phenological development using two‐ and three‐digit coding systems was conducted on 12 clumps (one clump/replicate/treatment). The species has eight principal stages, which include bud and leaf development, formation of side tillering, petiole elongation, emergence of synflorescence, flowering, fruit development and fruit maturity. Both irradiance and fertiliser levels affected certain phenological stages; with leaf, tiller, synflorescence and fruit strongly influenced by irradiance levels. Leaf growth was more vigorous under high irradiances compared with low irradiances and took about 36 to 42 days to attain full maturity. The clump growth or size is a function of tiller numbers. The tiller number increased with increase in clump age. The onset of certain phenological stages was associated with clump age. The clumps commenced production of synflorescence when tiller number was in the range of 30 to 40, and started fruit formation when tiller number reached 70. Both events occurred under a combination treatment of high irradiance with high fertiliser. The GDD requirement of any phenological stage or development of any plant part is contingent upon the duration of a particular stage or process, as measured in days after emergence or transplanting. The longer the duration, the higher the GDD and it varies with treatments. The total GDD required for the completion of the single leaf growth ranged from 852 to 1,022°C, while the emergence of synflorescence under high irradiance occurred with GDD of 5621 (T2) and low irradiance at 9387°C (T3). Fruit formation was observed only under high irradiance with GDD ranging from 9030 (T2) to 13,147°C (T1) during the study period. A description of phenological development according to BBCH scale and GDD requirements in response to differences in irradiance and fertiliser is imperative. It provides a detailed knowledge based on T. daniellii development vis‐à‐vis growth and environmental requirements. This will pave the way for attainment of an efficient crop agronomic practice.

Improved expression of recombinant sweet-tasting brazzein using codon optimization and host change as new strategies

ABSTRACTThere is increased food industry attention to low-calorie natural sweeteners with good taste properties such as in plant-based sweet proteins. Brazzein is an attractive alternative to sucrose because of its intense sweetness, natural origin, and good stability at wide pH ranges and high temperature. In the present study, by using the minor form of brazzein as the basic sequence, the codon-optimized brazzein gene was designed based on appropriate GC content and preferred codon of E. coli. Then, the synthesized brazzein gene was cloned in pET28a vector and expressed in BL21(DE3) and SHuffle® T7 Express strains. Recombinant brazzein was expressed about 1.8 to 2.3 mg/L and 7.2 to 8.4 mg/L in BL21 (DE3) and SHuffle® T7 Express strain, respectively. Recombinant brazzein with His-tag lacked the sweetness. After the removal of the His-tag, it was shown that in addition to sweetness potency, the amount of brazzein proteins purified from SHuffle® T7 Express was higher than that from BL21. This improvement could be due to the better performance of SHuffle® T7 Express in the expression of the protein with high disulfide bridges and the effect of disulfide bonds on the sweetness of brazzein.

Physicochemical criteria, bioactive compounds and sensory quality of Moroccan traditional carob drink

The chemical, functional and sensory properties of Moroccan carob drink were evaluated. The carob pods were collected from Beni Mellal region in Morocco. The carob drink was processed from the pulp referring to an improved local process. The ash, moisture contents, pH, Brix, total acidity, water activity and pectin content were determined. Bio actives contents, total phenolics, flavonoids and condensed tannins were evaluated. Carob drink is a slightly acidic (total titratable acidity = 1.6 g CAE/ L and pH = 5) with high water activity value (aw = 0.87). Carob drink of Dir Lekssiba had significantly higher contents of total phenolic (843 μg GAE/mL), condensed tannin (28.1 mg TAE/100 mL) and flavonoids contents (55.3 mg RE/mL) than drink of Ait Oum Elbakht respectively 710 μg GAE/mL, 20.7 mg TAE/100 mL and 34.2 mg RE/mL. Sensory analysis showed that the carob drink is generally a sweet and astringent product with aromatic notes especially caramel and metallic. The aroma and sweet intensity is more pronounced for Ait Oum Elbakht drink. However, astringency is more pronounced for Dir Lekssiba drink.

Taste and palatability of strawberry jam as affected by organic acid content

ABSTRACT The aim of this research was to clarify the effects of organic acid content on the taste and palatability of strawberry jam. Prepared jam samples with different organic acid contents (0.8–2.0%) were assessed for color and texture, and then subjected to sensory evaluation of sweetness, sourness and preference attributes. For the sensory evaluation, assessors evaluated the sweetness intensity of the jam as decreasing with increasing organic acid content. In contrast, the sourness intensity increased as the organic acid content increased. Palatability did not change with the content of organic acids when the jam was evaluated alone. However, a difference was observed when eating jam in combination with yogurt or bread; moderately sour jam was preferred over those at either extreme of the sourness scale. Assessors who commonly consume jam with yogurt showed a preference when evaluating jam with yogurt, but no differences were observed when evaluating jam with bread. By contrast, assessors who commonly consume jam with bread did not show a preference when evaluating jam with yogurt, but showed a preference when evaluating jam with bread. Assessors who typically consume jam with yogurt or bread did not show any differences in preference when evaluating jam alone. These results indicate the importance of considering the eating habits of assessors when investigating the palatability of foods, such as jam, that are not eaten alone. Because the preference of them may change depending on their eating habits.

Physical, textural and sensory characteristics of reduced sucrose cakes, incorporated with clean-label sugar-replacing alternative ingredients

Abstract High levels of sucrose in foods present a great risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Therefore a low sucrose intake is strongly recommended. Sweet baked products incorporate high levels of sucrose. Sucrose in the original cake formulation was reduced and replaced with apple pomace, whey permeate, oligofructose, polydextrose. An acceptable sucrose reduction of between 21 and 27% was achieved. Cakes containing apple pomace had the lowest specific volume (1.8 cm3/g) and highest crumb firmness (8.60 N) (P Industrial relevance Public awareness about the health risks of diets high in sugar have increased dramatically for the last number of years. Governmental and professional groups have recommended sucrose to be reduced in certain food products; therefore the food industry is now seeking ways to reduce the sugar by substituting other materials. However, most people enjoy the taste and texture of high sugar foods, and may not want to give them up. As sugar is present in such significant amounts in cakes, altering the level used will greatly affect dough consistency and final product characteristics. Efforts have made over the last number of years to explore alternative sweetening ingredients including bulk sweeteners (polyols) and high intensity sweeteners as sucrose replacers (Di Monaco et al., 2018). However, recent consumer trends indicate a movement towards a ‘clean label’. Clean label implies a food a low number of ingredients and ingredients with names with the consumer can understand (Skelke, 2018). Polyols and high intensity artificial sweeteners are not considered to be a ‘clean label’ ingredient, and therefore alternatives must be reviewed. This study investigates the use of clean label sweetening ingredients. Apple pomace and whey permeate are by-products of the juice and dairy industry. Both polydextrose and oligofructose can be classified as dietary fibres, and also provide other functional properties to the cake.

Is the edulcorate power of two intense sweeteners sucralose and stevia same in ice cream and frozen desserts?

PurposeCarob has been proposed as a healthy, stimulant-free alternative to chocolate in frozen desserts. In order to make carob a viable and attractive alternative, food producers need to know how it interacts with sweeteners and frozen dessert dispersion matrices. The purpose of this paper is to find the optimal sweetener concentration in three plant-based frozen desserts and carob-flavoured milk dispersion matrix ice cream.Design/methodology/approachThe ideal sucrose concentrations (per cent) were determined through an affective test using the “just-about-right” scale for carob-flavoured frozen desserts made with cashew nut, coconut and soy beverage, as well as milk dispersion matrix. The sweetness equivalence of artificial sweeteners relative to sucrose was determined by the magnitude estimation test.FindingsThe authors identified the concentrations of sucrose, stevia and sucralose that produced ideal sweetness in carob-flavoured frozen desserts. Concentrations for soy-based frozen desserts differed from the other dispersion mediums tested. Plant-based frozen desserts exhibited a higher ratio of sweetening power of stevia and sucralose to sucrose compared to milk-based ice cream by a factor of 1.18 and 1.14, respectively.Originality/valueThis study undertook a comprehensive survey of a dairy-free and chocolate-free alternative to chocolate ice cream and found new sweetener interactions with dispersion matrices in carob-flavoured frozen desserts. The findings in this study can be applied in the development of carob-flavoured soybean-, coconut-, cashew nut- and milk-based frozen desserts.

Fruit aroma and sensorial characteristics of traditional and innovative Japanese plum (Prunus salicina Lindl.) cultivars grown in Italy

Plums are climacteric fruits with reduced shelf life and they represent a very appreciated product for fresh consumption. European consumers can find several plum cultivars that offer different organoleptic characteristics, flavor and aroma. In this study, chemical properties, such as total soluble solids (TSS), pH, titratable acidity, total phenolic and anthocyanin contents, aroma profile and sensory evaluation of seven plum cultivars were investigated. Significant differences in chemical properties were found in ‘Settembrine’ and ‘Angeleno’, the late ripening European plums that showed the highest TSS content and the lowest acidity values. As expected, a high level of anthocyanins was detected in red pulp and red flesh plums such as ‘Dofi Giudy’ and ‘Black Diamond’, though significant differences in their total phenolic amount were observed. ‘Dofi Giudy’, ‘Black Diamond’ and ‘Laroda’ showed the highest aroma profile among the investigated cultivars. Finally, a discrimination among the cultivars was obtained by combining the volatile profiles with a back-propagation neural network analysis (BPNN). The results showed that C6 compounds such as esters and aldehydes were strongly related to flavor perception of the panelists. ‘Dofi Giudy’ was the mostly appreciated plum due to its juiciness, sweetness and flavor intensity; furthermore, when compared to the other cultivars, it also showed remarkable levels of total soluble solids, total phenolic and anthocyanin contents.