Low-sugar egg-based dessert (sweet egg yolk drops): Characterization, consumer acceptance and driver of liking

The addition of sweeteners and fructooligosaccharides (FOS) to partially reduced-sugar syrup allows for the development of high-sugar egg-based desserts, which are a healthier alternative with good consumer acceptance. This study aimed to analyze the effects of different sweeteners and sugar reductions on physicochemical properties, consumer liking, and emotional responses of sweet egg yolk drops. Five experimental desserts were prepared: four with 25 % low-calorie sweeteners (erythritol, mannitol, sorbitol, and tagatose) combined with 25 % FOS in reduced-sugar syrup (50 %), and one as a control (full-sugar formulation). Substitution of erythritol (E50), mannitol (M50), and tagatose (T50) in the syrup significantly decreased the quality of the desserts. This implies a decrease in the sensory properties, leading to negative emotional responses among consumers. However, the application of external preference mapping (EPM) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) revealed that two of the four commercial desserts and one control sample (F100) included sorbitol desserts (S50). Desserts in this group that are related to specific attributes as drivers of liking, such as appearance, yellowness, sweetness, cohesiveness, and juiciness evoke positive emotional responses in consumers (‘Auspicious’, ‘Glad’, ‘Attractive’, ‘Secure’, ‘Loving’, ‘Natural’). Therefore, sorbitol and FOS are suitable sweeteners in reduced-sugar syrups for producing egg-based desserts with reduced calories and improved consumer acceptance. This study thus paves the way for the development of healthy dessert products.