Effects of replacing artificial sweeteners" sucralose and acesulfame-K " with sugar on the physical properties and glycemic index of Libyan sweet cakes.

Abstract

Sweet cakes are one of the popular confectionery products in Libya and are characterized by unique texture, taste, long shelf life, relatively cheap and considered as widespread snack among all segments of society. Since sucrose is an essential ingredient in the manufacture of sweet cakes, the development of such products with partial or total replacement of sucrose with artificial sweeteners will have a positive impact on consumer's health. Because there are no previous studies in Libya on the use of artificial sweeteners in sweets, the aims of this study were to evaluate the effects of using sucralose or acesulfame potassium instead of sucrose at 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% replacement and determining the best ratio of replacement using a 9-point hedonic scale and 18 panelists have participated in the evaluation. Results of the Sensory evaluation showed similar sensory characteristics for all samples. The control sample showed the highest score as compared with any of the sweeteners. The best acceptance for cake samples did not exceed 50% replacement for sucralose or acesulfame potassium. However; there was no significant differences between the 25% and 50% replacement samples compared to the control sample; but there was a difference at 75% 0r 100% replacement. Therefore; 50% replacement was chosen for both sweeteners to evaluate their effect on the glycemic index. The glycemic index was determined with healthy adult volunteers (n = 23), where blood sugar response was evaluated after taking 50 g glucose in 250 ml water or 50 g of the three types of cakes (control sample, 50% sucralose or 50% acesulfame potassium replacements) with 250 ml water during non-consecutive days. Blood glucose levels were measured at 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 min. The results showed that the highest value of glycemic index (40) was for 50% sucralose, followed by 50% acesulfame potassium (35). While the lowest glycemic index (33) was for the control sample. The highest glycemic load was for the 50% sucralose (11.04), and the lowest value was for the 50% acesulfame potassium sample (9.6.) and the control sample (9.7) with no significant differences between the three samples at p<0.05. It is concluded that Libyan sweet cakes sweetened with a ratio of 50% / 50% sucrose and artificial sweeteners has no difference in the sensory properties and taking 50 grams of either of them has no effect on the glycemic index.