Evaluation of the glycemic index and temporal dominance sensations of fiber-enriched sweetener

Abstract

The objective this work was to develop a natural sweetener with fiber and evaluate its physical and sensory characteristics and its effect on glycemia in vivo. Sweeteners containing stevia, erythritol and acacia gum were used for the formulation and physical analyzes of solubility, hygroscopicity, density, compressibility and flow were performed. Sensory analysis used the Temporal Dominance of Sensation (TDS) method, and the evaluation of the glycemic index (GI). All the data obtained were evaluated in a descriptive way and, for the TDS, the data analysis by the SensoMaker® program was used. The physical analyzes showed that the mixture has suitable physical characteristics, not interfering in a gross way with the particularities of each component it contains. TDS showed that the residual bitter taste that stevia presents was not perceptible within the mixture, valuing its use in this product. The evaluation of the GI showed that the fiber-enriched sweetener was able to considerably reduce the glycemic response, especially after 90 minutes of ingestion. In general, the fiber-enriched sweetener met the technological and sensory requirements, without the perception of bitter taste naturally found in stevia, and also added the power to reduce blood glucose, which could have a positive impact on consumer health.