The Role of Non-Caloric Sweeteners in Sensory Characteristics of Pastry Products

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the role of non-caloric sweeteners in pastry products considering the product made with sugar as a control sample. Sensory preference and acceptability with consumers were determined through ranking test and 9-point hedonic scale respectively. The satiation and satiety were determined by the visual analogue scale (VAS). In addition, caloric intake; macronutrients; physical parameters such as yield, specific volume, hardness, cohesiveness, and gum; stability in storage time by microbiological analysis; and moisture variation of the samples were calculated. The results showed that the preference and sensory acceptability is significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the control sample; the sweeteners decreased the sensory response, but not the satiation and satiety, although these are not related to the sensory response and did not present significant differences with the control sample, except in the satiation parameter of the sample sweetened with Stevia. The physical and texture parameters highlight the best quality of the control sample and are related to the sensory response. The shelf life is also greater in the control sample, which shows that sugar contributes sweetness and other technological characteristics related to texture, stability during storage, aroma, color, and flavor, thanks to the Maillard reaction.