Influence of caramel and molasses addition on acrylamide and 5‐hydroxylmethylfurfural formation and sensory characteristics of non‐centrifugal cane sugar during manufacturing

Abstract

BACKGROUNDThe aims of this study are to (i) evaluate the effects of color enhancers, caramel (C) and molasses (M), on acrylamide and 5‐hydroxylmethylfurfural (HMF) formation in non‐centrifugal cane sugar (NCS) and to (ii) perform nine‐point hedonic scale and evaluation of sensory attributes, encompassing the appearance, flavor, texture and aftertaste, by 71 consumers on NCS, NCS_C, and NCS products made with a blend of molasses and sugar (NCS_MS) and steam processing (NCS_S).RESULTSWith the addition of molasses and caramel at the maximum allowable level of 5 g kg−1 in sugarcane juice, significantly greater acrylamide or HMF did not accumulate in NCS_C and NCS_M during the thermal manufacturing process, while color values of NCS_C significantly changed (P < 0.05). The increases in acrylamide and HMF contents were influenced by pH because they were produced by the Maillard reaction. Hedonic responses showed that NCS_MS was rated with the highest score for overall acceptance, whereas NCS_S, with the lowest content of acrylamide, exhibited the lowest score for every attribute. In addition, the appearance acceptance score of NCS_C was significantly higher than that of NCS (P < 0.05). Significant differences were also found between NCS and NCS_C in the frequency of 9 of 16 items with which consumers selected to characterize the appearance in a check‐all‐that‐apply questionnaire (P < 0.05).CONCLUSIONSThe association between hedonic evaluations and sensory profiles in visual attributes of NCS_C indicated that caramel could be a promising addition in Maillard reaction‐mitigated NCS products to improve consumer preferences through color strengthening without safety concerns. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry

Key Drivers for Non-Centrifugal Sugar Cane Research, Technological Development, and Market Linkage: A Technological Roadmap Approach for Colombia

“…Molasses is one of the main by-products of NCS and other sugar cane juice derivatives used for ethanol production (Cruz et al 2021 ) and is a main input for conceptual sugar cane biorefineries based on biocatalytic processes (Raut and Bhagat 2021 ). Furthermore, molasses could influence acrylamide and 5-hydroxylmethylfurfural formation and the sensory characteristics on NCS primarily due to Maillard reactions (Sung et al 2020 ). Furthermore, sugar cane juice itself has been used as a nutraceutical additive for fruit and vegetable juices, jams, and syrups (Cervera-Chiner et al 2021 ; Kumar et al 2021a , b ).…”

“…These research trends focus on two specific pollutants: acrylamides and furfurals. This research focuses on acrylamide formation due to low-humidity and high-temperature processes (Barón Cortés et al 2021 ; Henao et al 2021 ; Phaeon et al 2021 ) and the presence and concentrations of colour enhancers, caramel, and molasses in sugar cane juice (Kobayashi et al 2020 ; Sung et al 2020 ). 5-Hydroxylmethylfurfural is another carcinomic compound of interest (Lee et al 2020 ).…”