Influence of Healthy Sweeteners (Tagatose and Oligofructose) on the Physicochemical Characteristics of Orange Marmalade

Abstract

Today's society shows a growing interest in healthy, safe and high nutritional quality food. Thus, in this paper sweet orange marmalades have been developed using healthy sweeteners (tagatose and oligofructose) in different proportions. Analyses of Brix, pH, moisture, water activity, antioxidant capacity, optical and rheological properties have been carried out, initially and after 45 days of storage. Microbiological analyses have also been performed to determine their stability. Furthermore, a sensorial assessment has been conducted to find out acceptance of these new orange marmalades by consumers. The results showed that the highest proportion of oligofructose contributed to improve the initial antioxidant capacity of marmalades. The marmalade with the same proportions of oligofructose and tagatose was more consistent and showed a further increase in the elastic component over time. All marmalades had a similar appearance, but oligofructose reduced L*. Finally, orange marmalades made with healthy sweeteners were better scored. Practical Applications The development of new healthier marmalades offers new alternatives to the conventional ones not only to prevent caries and obesity but also to provide functional features associated with the use of tagatose and oligofructose as sweeteners. However, not always it is possible to replace traditional components by others and that is why it is so important to assess their technological influence. In this study, the viability of the use of both sweeteners to prepare orange marmalades has been checked.

Effect of replacing sucrose with tagatose and isomaltulose in Mandarin orange marmalade on rheology, colour, antioxidant activity, and sensory properties

“…In contrast, the results for marmalade C were most similar to the results for the control marmalade, most likely due to the analogous chemical structure of the sucrose and isomaltulose molecules. However, in our previous work (RUBIO-ARRAEZ et al, 2015) carried out on orange marmalade formulated with oligofructose and tagatose as a substitutes for sucrose, there was an increase in the elastic component (G') after 45 days of storage. Consequently, it can be concluded that depending on the nature of the chemical structure of the sweetener used, the rheological behaviour will be different.…”

“…The rheological properties of the mandarin orange marmalades studied were analysed using a controlled stress rheometer manufactured by Thermo Fisher Scientifi c, Inc. (Haake RheoStress 1, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA), at 25 ºC, using the protocol described in previous studies (PEINADO et al, 2012;RUBIO-ARRAEZ et al, 2015). Oscillatory or steady-state tests were carried out to study the pseudoplastic or viscoelastic behaviour of marmalades, respectively.…”

“…Yeasts, moulds, and mesophilic aerobic bacteria were determined following the protocol described in previous paper (RUBIO-ARRAEZ et al, 2015). Samples were taken for analysis on days 1, 90, 180, and 360.…”

“…The antioxidant activity of marmalades was analysed on the basis of the scavenging activities of the stable 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical following the protocol described in previous studies (SHAHIDI et al, 2006;RUBIO-ARRAEZ et al, 2015).…”

“…An acceptance test using a 9-point hedonic scale (RUBIO-ARRAEZ et al, 2015) was used to evaluate the following attributes: colour, aroma, texture, consistency, spreadable capacity, palatability, fl avour, sweetness, bitterness, global preference, and intention of buying in the three formulations made with different combinations of healthy sugars (A, C, and D), as well as the control marmalade. Marmalade B, formulated with the same proportion of isomaltulose and tagatose was not considered in the sensorial analysis, since the aim of this test was to determine the consumers' preference for tagatose or isomaltulose and the other marmalades had a higher amount of each of these sweeteners.…”