Optical, mechanical and sensory properties of based-isomaltulose gummy confections

The replacement of traditional sugars by isomaltulose could be a revolution in the confectionery sector, since isomaltulose is a functional, digestible, non-cariogenic and low glycemic disaccharide. This study assesses the addition of isomaltulose (ranging between 30 and 70% in combination with fructose) with different percentages of gelatine (6-10%) in gummy confection by analysing its effect on composition, water activity (a(w)), pH, mechanical and optical properties, and sensory perception. Results show that the combination of 30% isomaltulose and 70% fructose in the total amount of sugars would be suitable for developing functional gummy confections. Besides its stability (a(w) (0.79 +/- 0.02) and degrees Brix (73.5 +/- 1.3)) and great similarity to commercial gummies in terms of optical and mechanical properties, it received high global acceptability and intention of buying scores. Additionally, the correlation between instrumental and sensory parameters leads to the conclusion that the instrumental texture could be suitable for evaluating consumer's global acceptability for this innovative product. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.