A multidimensional evaluation of the effects of sweetener selection and UV‐C treatment on orange juice and pectin‐based confectionery gels

Background

Consumers are seeking healthier alternatives to traditional confectioneries. They value the use of sugar replacers, more natural ingredients and/or environmentally friendly preservation technologies. UV‐C light is considered an emerging alternative to thermal pasteurization which leaves no residue and requires minimal energy. This study was aimed at investigating the effect of novel sweetener combinations and juice UV‐C assisted by mild heat treatment (UV‐C/H) on the physicochemical, microbiological, morphological, rheological, and sensory properties of orange juice pectin‐based confectioneries stored at 5±1°C for 35 days.

Results

For orange juice processing, UV‐C/H (pilot‐scale Dean‐flow reactor; 892mJ/cm²; 50±1°C) and thermal (T‐coil, 80°C; 6 min) treatments were used. Low‐calorie confectionery gels were elaborated using the treated juices, low‐methoxyl pectin and various sweetener combinations. UV‐C/H and T‐coil effectively inactivated juice native microbiota. The proposed formulations, derived from a previous Box–Behnken optimization study, included partial (F1:3%‐sucrose‐S+0.019%‐rebaudioside‐A‐RA) or complete sucrose replacement (F2:5.5%‐erythritol‐E+0.019%‐RA), and one control (C:10%‐S). In general, the microbiota of the gels prepared with the UV‐C/H or T‐coil treated juices did not recover during storage. The physicochemical and mechanical parameters of the formulations were significantly influenced by the choice of sweetener and the duration of storage. The gel surface got smoother and had fewer holes when the sucrose level dropped, according to a SEM study. The UV‐C/H‐treated samples did not differ in acceptability while the measured sensory attributes approached ideal levels. F1 and F2 showed distinctive temporal‐dominance‐of‐sensations profiles, mainly dominated by sweetness and orange taste, respectively. However, consumers perceived sourness and astringency in C during consumption.

Conclusions

This study provides significant evidence in support of the development of confectionery gels F1 and F2 made from fruit juice treated by UV‐C light assisted by mild heat and combinations of sucrose‐alternative sweeteners. In terms of the properties studied, these confectionery gels were comparable to, or even outperformed the full‐sucrose option.

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