The potential sugar replacements in the development of low calorie Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L. ‘UKMR-2’) pickles

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the effect of sweeteners xylitol, stevia (rebaudioside-A) and stevia blend (mixture of stevia, maltitol and sorbitol) as sugar replacement in the production of roselle pickle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) based on sensory evaluation (acceptance tests), physico-chemical properties and microbiological quality of the pickle. From the sensory evaluation test, it showed that among all the sweeteners used, the formulation of roselle pickle using xylitol as a sugar substitute gave the most accepted sweetener compared to stevia blend and stevia (rebaudioside-A). The value of L *, a * and b* for the colour of roselle pickle were different for formulations containing sweeteners compared to roselle pickle containing sugar (control). Roselle pickle with xylitol showed higher in total soluble solids than from the roselle pickle with stevia blend and stevia (rebaudioside-A). Total calories in roselle pickle that were formulated with sweeteners gave more than 3 times less calories than roselle pickle with sugar (control). From this study, the pH value, texture, ash, crude fiber, ascorbic acid and anthocyanin contents of roselle pickles prepared using these three sweeteners showed no significant different (p>0.05). The microbiological quality done also showed that there was no detected growth of microorganisms in all the pickles.