Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effect of the bodying agents (erythritol, sorbitol, xylitol and polydextrose) and their mixtures on the preparation of mixed Brazilian Cerrado fruit preserves (marolo, soursop and sweet passion fruit). Design/methodology/approach The simplex mixture design was used for product optimization and the preserves evaluated by physical, physicochemical and sensory properties. The research data were analyzed using regression equations on SAS University and exploratory analysis by principal component analysis and parallel factors techniques on Sensomaker software. Findings The results show that erythritol and polydextrose bodying agents should not be used as pure components because they provoked changes in the properties of the final product and negatively influenced the sensory attributes. While the high concentrations of xylitol and sorbitol provided better sensorial acceptance, being considered, therefore, good substitutes for sucrose. Practical implications This research has shown it is feasible to use bodying agents in the preparation of mixed Brazilian Cerrado fruit preserves without added sugar. Social implications The development of mixed preserves could increase population access to the Brazilian Cerrado fruits. In addition, sugar-free preserves are a viable alternative for adding value to the product and satisfy all the consumers. Originality/value The combination of properties of two or more fruits and use of bodying agents can improve sensory, physical and physicochemical characteristics of the final product. However, there are technological challenges to evaluate in the preparation of mixed Brazilian Cerrado fruit preserves without added sugar.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the sensory profile of specialty coffees, natural and pulped, from the region of Matas de Minas in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil and correlate the sensory scores with the chemical composition of the grains. Twenty samples of Arabica coffee were assessed (10 Natural and 10 Pulped), as the sensory profile (Cup of Excellence) and sucrose content, bioactive compounds and fatty acids of raw beans. The processed pulped coffees stood out as the final scores. The attributes sweetness, acidity and flavor were important for the distinction of the pulped coffees, while natural coffees the determining attributes were body and acidity. The bioactive compounds and sucrose showed positive and negative correlation with the sensory attributes, respectively. The acids C14:0, C18:2 and C18:3, were relevant to the sensory distinction of natural coffees. The acids C18:0 and C20:2 showed positive correlation, and acids C18:2 and C18:3, negative, with the sensory attributes of the pulped coffees. The specialty coffees of the region of Matas de Minas feature distinct sensory profiles and it is possible to correlate them with the chemical composition of the grains.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the bodying agents (erythritol, sorbitol, xylitol, and polydextrose) and their mixtures on the preparation of mixed Brazilian Cerrado fruit preserves (marolo, soursop, and sweet passion fruit). Mixture design was used for product optimization and the preserves were evaluated by texture profile, stress relaxation test, and uniaxial compression test. The research data were analyzed using regression equations on SAS software. The results indicated that the rheological parameters were affected by the body agents. Erythritol should not be used as an isolated component because it provoked changes in the properties of the final product (harder and brittle preserves); xylitol and sorbitol made preserves more elastic, cohesive, and more fragile; and polydextrose showed a synergistic effect with erythritol for rupture deformation and lesser effects for hardness, adhesiveness, and gumminess.