Quality Characteristics of Muffin Prepared with Alternative Sweeteners Erythritol and Sucralose

Abstract

This study investigates quality characteristics of low-sugar muffins supplemented with alternative sweeteners: sucralose and erythritol. Muffins were prepared with varying concentrations of erythritol and sucralose (replace 50 g of sugar with alternative sweeteners 12.5 g, 25 g, and 50 g). We analyzed the quality characteristics of muffins including moisture content, pH, specific volume, baking loss rate, color, and texture. Cross-sectional images were obtained and examined using the Image J program, after which the muffins were assessed for their sensory characteristics. Increasing amounts of alternative sweeteners resulted in decreased moisture content, pH, specific volume, and a-value, whereas the baking loss rate, L-value, hardness, chewiness, and gumminess were increased. Image J analysis showed that increased amounts of alternative sweeteners resulted in an increase in the number of pores, but decrease in the percentage of area occupied by the pores. These findings indicate that replacing sugar with an equal amount of sucralose mixture or half the amount of erythritol mixture positively affects the sensory characteristics of muffins. Our results can be applied as data for manufacturing other low-sugar baked products.