INFLUENCE OF MONK FRUIT AND STEVIA AS NATURAL SWEETENERS ON THE HARDNESS, TOTAL PHENOLIC CONTENT, ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY, AND SENSORY EVALUATION OF OMEGA DARK CHOCOLATE
Authors: Izzreen, I.1*, Nawirah Alia, B. H.2, Fatin Nadhirah, H. F.2, Johari, K.1, Nafisah, M.2 and Wan Saidatul Syida W. K.2
Journal Issue: Malaysian Cocoa Journal, Volume 16/2024
Keywords: Natural sweetener, omega dark chocolate, sensory evaluation, antioxidant, total phenolic content
Published On: 1/10/2024
Abstract
Nowadays, the incorporation of natural sweeteners such as stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) and monk fruit (Siraitia grosvenorii) to replace the sucrose in chocolate products has gained attention among health-conscious consumers who are increasingly seeking out healthier snacking alternatives, and high-quality chocolate while providing delectable flavour. This study aimed to determine the hardness, water activity, total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity: 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity and sensory profile of omega dark chocolate (enriched with 2.5% sacha inchi oil oleogel) with 29.5% natural sweeteners (monk fruit and stevia). Omega dark chocolate (ODC) formulated with sucrose (refined sugar) was used as a control. The addition of natural sweeteners had no significant impact (p>0.05) on the water activity (aw = 0.36) of ODC compared to the control. However, the addition of natural sweeteners lowers the hardness (p<0.05) of ODC than control. Meanwhile, formulated ODC containing monk fruit and stevia exhibited higher TPC (27.19-28.20 mg GAE/g) and antioxidant activity (91.34-91.52%) than the control. Sensory evaluation involving 85 panellists showed that ODC samples (sucrose, monk fruit, or stevia) received similar scores (p>0.05) for all attributes (colour, glossiness, texture, cocoa flavour, sweetness, bitterness, and overall acceptability), and were well-accepted by consumers (range sensory scores: 6.12-7.51). Therefore, the application of monk fruit and stevia as sucrose replacers in omega dark chocolate has the potential to be a healthier option, especially regarding total phenolic content and antioxidant activity for health-conscious consumers.