Effects of Erythritol on the Physico-Chemical Properties and Sensory Acceptability of Strawberry Frozen Yoghurt

Heun, Yin Hui (2022) Effects of Erythritol on the Physico-Chemical Properties and Sensory Acceptability of Strawberry Frozen Yoghurt. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University College.

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Abstract

In this study, erythritol was used as a sugar substitute in the strawberry frozen yoghurt. The effects of different erythritol concentrations (0 – 100 %) on the physico-chemical properties (texture, colour, viscosity, first dripping, melting rate, complete melting, titratable acidity, pH and total sugar content), sensory acceptability, total bacteria growth and lactic acid bacteria count of strawberry frozen yoghurt were studied. Addition of erythritol (50 and 100 %) had no significant effects (p > 0.05) on most of the frozen yoghurt physical properties, except for gumminess, redness (a*), yellowness (b*), viscosity and complete melting. The sample with medium erythritol concentration (50 %) had a significantly (p < 0.05) higher pH and lower titratable acidity compared to sugar-containing control, whereas both 50 % and 100 % erythritol-added samples showed a significant (p < 0.05) total sugar content reduction (31.27 % and 58.81 %, respectively). In the sensory aspect, addition of erythritol (50 and 100 %) significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the sweetness taste perceived in the strawberry frozen yoghurt without causing undesirable astringency aftertaste. Total bacteria growth and LAB count (Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus) in both erythritol-added samples were significantly (p < 0.05) declined. The data show that higher erythritol concentration (100 %) improved the overall acceptance of the strawberry frozen yoghurt (overall liking score of 7.00 ± 1.21). Compared to sugar-containing control, erythritol-added samples are more likely to possess health benefits with lower sugar content. More in-depth studies are required to validate the suitability of erythritol as a sugar substitute in frozen yoghurt and to investigate its long-term effects on human health