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. 2023 Sep 7;33(5):1093–1101. doi: 10.1007/s10068-023-01416-9

Effects of alternative sweeteners with or without xanthan gum on the physicochemical properties of scone products

Su Jeong Lee 1, Hee Ju Oh 1, Je Hyun Jung 1, Eun A Jeong 1, Mi-Ran Kim 1,✉
PMCID: PMC10908993  PMID: 38440687

Abstract

The physicochemical properties of scones made with alternative sweeteners (stevia, sucralose, and allulose) at different ratios (30, 70, and 100%) with or without xanthan gum were investigated. Nineteen samples were evaluated for crust color, moisture content, specific volume, and texture properties. Scones with allulose had lower L values but higher a and b values due to the Maillard and caramelization reactions. The moisture content increased with xanthan gum addition, thereby decreasing the specific volume. The sample with 30% of stevia (ST30), 30% of sucralose (SC30), and 30% of allulose and xanthan gum (AL30G) had similar characteristics to the sample with sucrose (CON). In the consumer acceptance test, CON was the most preferred, but ST30 showed no significant difference. AL30G was less preferred because of its lack of sweetness. Overall, the physicochemical properties and consumer acceptance of ST30 were closest to those of CON, suggesting its potential use in scone products.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-023-01416-9.

Keywords: Scone, Alternative sweetener, Xanthan gum, Physicochemical properties, Consumer acceptance test

Introduction

Sucrose is the most typical sugar that is an essential nutrient for the brain and nervous system, with glucose serving as a crucial energy source. However, excessive consumption of sugar has been linked to health problems, such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases (Lustig et al., 2012; Malik et al., 2010; Te Morenga et al., 2014). To address this issue, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends limiting the free sugar intake to 10% of the daily energy intake (WHO, 2015). Similarly, the Korean nutrition standards of 2020 limit the total sugar intake to 10–20% of the total energy intake and suggest that added sugar intake, namely, the added sugar and high-fructose corn syrup during the cooking and processing of food, be within 10% of the total energy intake (Ministry of Health and Welfare, 2020). However, despite these guidelines, Koreans consume an average of 58.9 g of sugar per day, with approximately 62% of sugar originating from processed foods (36.4 g), as stated by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. In particular, those aged 12 to 18 years consume the most sugar from snacks, such as beverages, confectionery, bread, rice cake, and frozen desserts (Ministry of Health and Welfare, 2020). Meanwhile, the Korean bread market was worth approximately 400 million dollars in 2021 and has continued to grow since then (Food Information Statistics System, 2021). Therefore, the confectionary and bakery industries must reduce the added sugar content of their products to adhere to the suggested guidelines.

Among the alternative sweeteners, stevia, sucralose, and allulose are suitable for baking because of their high heat stability (Luo et al., 2019). Stevia, a natural sweetener found in Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is approximately 100 to 300 times sweeter than sugar but has a low calorie content of 0.2 kcal per gram, which does not affect blood sugar levels (Goyal et al., 2010). Conversely, sucralose is an artificial sweetener wherein the three hydroxyl groups of sugar are substituted with three chlorine atoms, and it is approximately 600 times sweeter than sugar (Kroger et al., 2006). Meanwhile, allulose, an isomer of fructose, is a low-calorie sweetener that is approximately 0.7 times as sweet as sucrose. However, it is also suitable for heat-processed foods because the Maillard reaction produces a pleasant taste and color (Hu et al., 2021).

Although these alternative sweeteners are heat-stable, the specific volume of bakery products made by these alternative sweeteners decreases owing to a decrease in the sugar content. High specific volume is an important parameter in bread products, as it represents a lighter and softer texture, which is positively correlated with consumer acceptance (Moore et al., 2004). Sugar helps the growth of yeast and generates carbon dioxide gas during the fermentation stage, which increases the specific volume (Parenti et al., 2020). However, replacing sugar with stevia, sucralose, or allulose, which cannot contribute to this process, may lead to a lower specific volume of bakery products. Bolger et al. (2021) reported that cupcakes supplemented with allulose had smaller volumes than those supplemented with sucrose. Sawettanun and Ogawa (2022) also found that bread containing allulose had lower height and volume than that containing sucrose. In contrast, xanthan gum, a hydrocolloid frequently used in bread production, mimics the viscoelastic properties of gluten, improving the structure of dough and ultimately increasing the volume by enhancing the gas retention during fermentation and baking (Toufeili et al., 1994). Numerous studies have reported improvements in bread volume due to xanthan gum addition (Shittu et al., 2009; Preichardt et al., 2011; Tebben and Li, 2019).

Currently, most studies are focused on reducing sugar in bakery products, such as cakes (Bolger et al., 2021; Hwang and Lee, 2019; Manisha et al., 2012), muffins (Karp et al., 2016; Moss et al., 2022) and cookies (Kim et al., 2017; Yoo and Hong, 2012). However, research on the effects of alternative sweeteners and xanthan gum on scone products is lacking. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare the physicochemical properties of scone samples prepared with sucrose (CON) to those prepared with different sweeteners (stevia, sucralose, and allulose) and alternative ratios (30, 70, and 100%), with or without xanthan gum. Furthermore, consumer acceptance and drivers of (dis) liking were investigated for scone samples that were identified through cluster analysis as having similar physicochemical properties to CON.

Materials and methods

Study design

In this study, 19 scone samples were prepared and compared to investigate the differences in their physicochemical properties. In particular, in 9 scone samples, sugar was replaced with stevia (ST), sucralose (SC), and allulose (AL) at certain ratios (30, 70, and 100%), and xanthan gum (G) was added to 9 other samples. Additionally, one scone sample was prepared using 100% sugar (CON). The physicochemical properties of the 19 scone samples were analyzed, including their moisture content, crust color (L, a, and b values), specific volume, and texture profile analysis (hardness, springiness, chewiness, and cohesiveness). Based on the cluster analysis of physicochemical properties, a consumer acceptance test was conducted for samples that were grouped in the same cluster as CON. In the consumer acceptance test, liking ratings (overall, appearance, odor, taste/flavor, and texture liking) and the appropriate intensity of sensory attributes (color, sweetness, and crispiness) were evaluated.

Physicochemical properties

Materials

The materials used in this study included commercially available flour (Baekseol cake flour, CJ Cheiljedang Co., Seoul, Korea), milk (Maeil milk original 3.6%, Maeil Dairies Co., Seoul, Korea), unsalted butter (Vircilo italiano da sempre, Consorzio Latterie Virgilio, Mantova, Italy), eggs (Alchamcham viable eggs, Woncheonobok Co., Pocheon, Korea), sugar (White sugar, CJ Cheiljedang Co., Seoul, Korea), baking powder (Good baking powder, Breadgarden Co., Seongnam, Korea), and salt (Baekseol refined salt, CJ Cheiljedang Co., Seoul, Korea).

In this study, three alternative sweeteners were used: ST (Sugalite G80, Daepyung Co., Seongnam, Korea), SC (sucralose; Anhui Jinhe Industrial Co., Anhui, China), and AL (Goodo allulose; Chungsol F&B Co., Namyangju, Korea). According to Han et al. (2016) and Park et al. (2016), the relative sweetness values of ST, SC, and AL were 100, 600, and 0.7, respectively. In accordance with the standards and specifications of food additives of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 1.6 g of xanthan gum (Xanthan gum, Jungbunzlauer, Basel, Switzerland) was used.

Sample preparation

The preparation of scone samples followed the method proposed by Kim (2021) using the mixing gram of the raw materials presented in Table 1. Equal amounts of flour (84 g), milk (25 g), unsalted butter (24 g), eggs (14 g), baking powder (2 g), and salt (0.7 g) were added to all the samples. For samples with xanthan gum, flour, baking powder, and xanthan gum were sifted together, whereas samples without xanthan gum were sifted with only flour and baking powder. The salt, sugar, and alternative sweeteners were mixed with milk for 3 min and then blended with eggs to make a liquid mixture. The unsalted butter was cut into cubes (1 × 1 × 1 cm), mixed with the flour mixture using a scraper, and then kneaded with the liquid mixture for 4 min. The dough was stored in a refrigerator (C120AR, LG Co., Seoul, Korea) at 5 °C for 60 min, shaped into 45 g balls, and baked for 25 min in an oven (GOR-S2200, SK Magic Co., Seoul, Korea) preheated to 180 °C. Finally, the scone samples were cooled at room temperature for 1 h.

Table 1.

The formula of scone samples

Ingredientsa CON ST30 ST70 ST100 SC30 SC70 SC100 AL30 AL70 AL100
ST30G ST70G ST100G SC30G SC70G SC100G AL30G AL70G AL100G
Flour 84
Milk 25
Butter 24
Egg 14
Baking powder 2
Salt 0.7
Sugar 15 10.5 4.5 – 10.5 4.5 – 10.5 4.5 –
Stevia (ST) – 0.045 0.105 0.150 – – – – – –
Sucralose (SC) – – – – 0.008 0.018 0.025 – – –
Allulose (AL) – – – – – – – 6.429 15.000 21.429
Xanthan gum (G)b 1.6
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aGrams (g) were used as the unit of measurement for all ingredients

bXanthan gum was added only to samples labeled as G

Physicochemical properties analysis

The crust color of the scone samples was measured using a spectrophotometer (CM-700d, Konica Minolta Inc., Japan) to determine the lightness (L), redness (a), and yellowness (b). The L, a, and b values of the standard plate are 92.67, 0.83, and 0.86, respectively. Each of the three samples was measured thrice to minimize deviation, and the average value was calculated, excluding the highest and lowest values. The moisture content of the scone samples was measured thrice using a dry oven (Drying oven, Vision S&Tech co., Bucheon, Korea) following the 44-15 A method of the American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC, 2000). The specific volume of the scone samples was measured thrice using a Volscan profiler (VSP 600, Stable Micro Systems, Godalming, UK). The specific volume was calculated by dividing the scone volume (mL) by the weight (g).

Texture profile analysis (TPA) of the scone samples was conducted using a texture analyzer (TA-XT, Stable Micro Systems, Godalming, UK) according to a two-bite compression system. The scone samples were compressed by approximately 40% using a 50 mm plunger, and the return distance was set at 30 mm. The return speed was set at 1.7 mm/s, and the contact force was set at 50 g. Hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, and chewiness were determined from the two-cycle curve using Texture Export for Windows (Stable Micro Systems, Godalming, UK). TPA was conducted thrice to ensure accuracy.

Consumer acceptance test

Subjects

Sixty-four consumers (23 male and 41 female) who were interested in scone tasting were recruited in this study. Flyers were used to recruit consumers on the campus of the Catholic University of Korea, and all consumers were given an informed consent form and voluntarily agreed to participate in this study. They had the right to withdraw from the test at any time, without explanation.

Sample preparation and presentation

In the consumer acceptance test, four samples were used: ST30, SC30, AL30G, and CON. All samples had similar physicochemical properties, and their preparation method was the same as that described in the sample preparation section. The samples were vertically bisected, and one-half was presented to the consumers in disposable containers with a lid (70 ø × 30 mm, Samboopack Co. Ltd., Icheon, Korea) labeled with a three-digit random number. A factorial design was used to minimize order bias, and consumers were presented with the next sample after completing the evaluation of one sample (sequential monadic order). Consumers were provided with bottled water (300 mL, Icis 8.0, Lotte chilsung beverage Co. Ltd., Seoul, Korea) to cleanse their palate between samples.

Procedure

The consumers rated the overall appearance, odor, taste/flavor, and texture liking of each sample using a 9-point hedonic scale (1 = dislike extremely, 5 = neither like nor dislike, and 9 = like extremely). Attribute intensities (color, sweetens, crispiness) were evaluated on a 5-point just-about-right (JAR) scale (1 = really not enough, 2 = not enough, 3 = JAR, 4 = too much, and 5 = really too much).

Statistical analysis

The data were analyzed using the IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software for Windows 21 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA), XLSTAT (Addinsoft, Paris, France), and FactoMineR (Le et al., 2008) in the R statistical system version 4.2.2 (R Development Core Team, 2022).

Physicochemical properties

Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to test for significant differences between the physicochemical properties of the 19 scone samples. When the p-value was lower than 0.05, Duncan’s multiple range test was used to compare the significant differences between samples for the corresponding properties. Additionally, ANOVA was conducted using a general linear model (GLM) to analyze the effect of sweetener type, alternative ratios, and the addition or absence of xanthan gum (p < 0.05).

Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering on principal components (HCPC) were conducted to visually summarize the relationship between the samples and identify samples whose overall physicochemical properties were similar to those of the CON.

Consumer acceptance test

For the liking data, ANOVA was conducted using a GLM to analyze the effect of the sample as a fixed source of variation and the consumer as a random source (p < 0.05). If the sample effect was significant, Duncan’s multiple range test was conducted as a post-hoc analysis.

For the intensities of color, sweetness, and crispiness evaluated using the JAR scale, the mean overall liking scores were calculated for each of the five categories. The mean drop was calculated by subtracting the mean of the overall liking score for the four non-JAR categories from that for the JAR category. Only attributes that received at least 10% of the response in any of the four non-JAR categories were considered for penalty analysis. Finally, a t-test was conducted to determine whether the mean drop was significantly different from 0. Additionally, the correlation between JAR categories was visualized using multiple correspondence analysis (MCA), and the samples and overall liking scores were applied as qualitative and quantitative supplementary values, respectively.

Results and discussion

Physicochemical properties

Effects on the crust color, moisture contents, and specific volume of scone samples

The crust color, moisture content, and specific volume of the 19 scone samples are presented in Table 2 and Appendix 1. The crust color of the scone samples was affected by the type of alternative sweetener used (p < 0.05). Samples with AL had a lower average L value (65.9a) than those with CON (72.6b), whereas samples with ST (76.2c) and SC (78.3c) showed higher average L values. Conversely, the a and b values of samples with AL (a: 10.2a, b: 36.3a) were higher than those of the CON (a: 5.7b, b: 33.8ab), whereas ST (a: 2.7b, b: 29.3c) and SC (a: 2.7b, b: 33.8ab) had the lowest a and b values. The crust color of bakery products is closely related to Maillard reactions and caramelization (Karp et al., 2016). AL, a reducing sugar, has a greater propensity for Maillard and caramelization reactions than non-reducing sugars, such as sucrose, ST, and SC (Baek et al., 2008). This results in a darker color in the crust portion of the baked goods. Similar results have been observed in other studies investigating bakery products containing AL, such as bread (Sawettanun and Ogawa, 2022), butter cookies (Sun et al., 2008), cupcakes (Bolger et al., 2021), and meringue (O’Charoen et al., 2014), which showed relatively low L value and high b value, consistent with the findings of this study.

Table 2.

Crust color, moisture content, and specific volume for the scone samples

Sample Crust color Moisture content (%) Specific volume (mL/g)
L value a value b value
CON 72.6 ± 3.7cde 5.7 ± 1.0cd 33.8 ± 2.1abcde 7.1 ± 0.4g 1.3 ± 0.1a
ST30 76.7 ± 0.7abc 3.9 ± 1.9d 31.8 ± 3.2abcde 7.0 ± 0.0g 1.1 ± 0.0de
ST70 79.3 ± 0.6a 2.3 ± 0.3d 26.8 ± 0.6e 7.7 ± 0.3fg 1.1 ± 0.1cd
ST100 75.4 ± 1.1abcd 1.9 ± 0.3d 29.1 ± 3.5cde 10.1 ± 0.5a 0.8 ± 0.0f
ST30G 76.7 ± 1.7abc 1.5 ± 0.0d 28.0 ± 0.4de 9.9 ± 0.0a 0.8 ± 0.0f
ST70G 73.8 ± 2.4bcd 2.9 ± 0.5d 29.7 ± 2.4cde 9.8 ± 0.2a 0.8 ± 0.0f
ST100G 75.3 ± 0.7abcd 3.6 ± 3.0d 30.4 ± 5.4bcde 8.3 ± 0.9def 0.9 ± 0.0f
SC30 76.2 ± 2.8abc 2.0 ± 0.1d 26.7 ± 1.0e 8.3 ± 0.3ef 1.1 ± 0.0de
SC70 80.6 ± 2.2a 2.0 ± 0.9d 30.9 ± 4.3bcde 8.4 ± 0.4cdef 1.1 ± 0.0cde
SC100 80.1 ± 1.5a 1.7 ± 0.1d 28.2 ± 1.2de 7.0 ± 1.3g 1.1 ± 0.0de
SC30G 77.9 ± 0.5abc 4.5 ± 1.1d 34.9 ± 2.6abcd 8.6 ± 0.2bcdef 0.9 ± 0.0f
SC70G 78.3 ± 0.3ab 2.4 ± 0.6d 31.6 ± 5.0abcde 9.3 ± 0.4abcd 0.9 ± 0.0f
SC100G 76.5 ± 1.7abc 3.5 ± 2.4d 31.8 ± 3.4abcde 9.1 ± 0.1abcde 0.9 ± 0.0f
AL30 67.4 ± 1.3fg 11.5 ± 4.4b 38.6 ± 3.9a 7.9 ± 0.2fg 1.3 ± 0.0a
AL70 65.7 ± 4.1g 9.4 ± 0.5bc 36.2 ± 2.5abc 8.7 ± 0.1bcdef 1.2 ± 0.1ab
AL100 68.7 ± 2.6efg 9.2 ± 2.0bc 37.2 ± 2.0ab 9.4 ± 0.1abc 1.2 ± 0.1bc
AL30G 70.8 ± 0.3def 4.6 ± 1.2d 31.5 ± 3.3abcde 9.1 ± 0.2abcde 1.0 ± 0.0e
AL70G 65.1 ± 4.7g 10.1 ± 3.6b 35.8 ± 2.5abc 9.4 ± 0.1abc 1.1 ± 0.0de
AL100G 57.8 ± 1.5h 16.3 ± 2.2a 38.5 ± 1.1a 9.6 ± 0.2ab 1.2 ± 0.0bcd
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Sample codes ST, SC, and AL meant stevia, sucralose, and allulose, respectively. Sample codes 30, 70, and 100 meant the alternative ratio of sugar. Sample code G meant xanthan gum

All values are presented as the mean ± standard deviation

Different superscripts within a column indicate a significant difference (p < 0.05)

The moisture content of the scone samples did not show significant differences based on the type and ratio of alternative sweeteners (p > 0.05). However, samples with xanthan gum (9.2 g) had a higher moisture content than those without xanthan gum (8.2 g) (p < 0.05). In contrast, the specific volume of the scone samples tended to decrease with the addition of xanthan gum (with: 0.9, without: 1.1) (p < 0.05). Generally, the addition of xanthan gum is known to have a positive effect on bread volume. However, our results contradict those of previous studies, as the addition of xanthan gum led to a decrease in bread volume. Notably, the xanthan gum content used in our study (approximately 1%) may have been too high. Xanthan gum is hydrophilic and can form a network that interacts with water through hydrogen bonding, aiding water absorption (Rosell et al., 2001). However, if the xanthan gum content is too high, it can interfere with gas expansion during baking by forming a strong network that hinders the evaporation of moisture and making the dough heavier, resulting in an even lower specific volume (Noorlaila et al., 2020). Benkadri et al. (2018) reported that xanthan gum increased the moisture content of biscuits, and Hager and Arendt (2013) found a negative linear effect of excessive xanthan gum addition on bread volume. In particular, they indicated that xanthan gum is a strong ingredient affecting the bread quality, even at very low levels of approximately 0.5%.

Effects on the texture properties of scone samples

The averages and standard deviations of the textural properties of the scone samples are presented in Table 3 and Appendix 1. Hardness was influenced by the type of sweetener (ST ≥ CON ≥ SC ≥ AL) and alternative ratios (30% ≥ 70% ≥ 100%) (p > 0.05). Samples with ST (20,418a) had higher hardness than those with CON (18,216ab), especially ST30G and ST70G with hardness values of 22,583 and 26,334, respectively. Conversely, samples with AL (14,550c) had a lower hardness, and this tendency seems to be related to the specific volume. Several studies have shown an inverse relationship between the specific volume and hardness (Aguilar et al., 2015; Hager and Arendt, 2013). This is because the bread rises owing to gas diffusion, which increases the specific volume and makes the bread structure less dense and softer, resulting in lower hardness. This correlation was consistently observed in the current study, where samples with a high specific volume, such as AL samples, had lower hardness, whereas those with a low specific volume, such as ST and SC samples, had higher hardness.

Table 3.

Texture properties for the scone samples

Sample Hardness Springiness Cohesiveness Chewiness
CON 18,217 ± 956cde 0.6 ± 0.0bc 0.4 ± 0.0de 4297 ± 184bc
ST30 22,710 ± 6424ab 0.6 ± 0.1d 0.3 ± 0.0g 3810 ± 933abcd
ST70 18,054 ± 265cdef 0.5 ± 0.0ef 0.3 ± 0.0g 2718 ± 205fg
ST100 18,406 ± 784cd 0.4 ± 0.0f 0.3 ± 0.0g 2540 ± 159fg
ST30G 22,584 ± 1773ab 0.5 ± 0.0ef 0.3 ± 0.0fg 3405 ± 130cde
ST70G 26,334 ± 1564a 0.5 ± 0.0de 0.3 ± 0.0fg 4398 ± 664ab
ST100G 15,707 ± 784defg 0.5 ± 0.0ef 0.3 ± 0.0g 2328 ± 227fg
SC30 20,354 ± 696bc 0.5 ± 0.0d 0.3 ± 0.0fg 3642 ± 211abcde
SC70 16,547 ± 796cdef 0.5 ± 0.0de 0.3 ± 0.0fg 2818 ± 50efg
SC100 13,104 ± 797fg 0.5 ± 0.0ef 0.3 ± 0.0g 1949 ± 322g
SC30G 17,936 ± 1771cde 0.5 ± 0.0de 0.4 ± 0.0ef 3179 ± 492def
SC70G 13,827 ± 1076efg 0.5 ± 0.0ef 0.3 ± 0.0fg 2052 ± 298g
SC100G 16,953 ± 2387cdef 0.5 ± 0.0ef 0.3 ± 0.0fg 2490 ± 418fg
AL30 14,724 ± 861defg 0.6 ± 0.0bc 0.4 ± 0.0bc 3933 ± 383abcd
AL70 15,898 ± 689cdefg 0.6 ± 0.0bc 0.4 ± 0.0bc 4164 ± 206abc
AL100 12,060 ± 913g 0.7 ± 0.0b 0.4 ± 0.0b 3485 ± 142bcde
AL30G 17,405 ± 1532cde 0.6 ± 0.0c 0.4 ± 0.0cd 4246 ± 607abc
AL70G 14,565 ± 1517defg 0.6 ± 0.0bc 0.5 ± 0.0b 4182 ± 338abc
AL100G 12,127 ± 704g 0.8 ± 0.0a 0.5 ± 0.0a 4533 ± 224a
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Sample codes ST, SC, and AL meant stevia, sucralose, and allulose, respectively. Sample codes 30, 70, and 100 meant the alternative ratio of sugar. Sample code G meant xanthan gum

All values are presented as the mean ± standard deviation

Different superscripts within a column indicate a significant difference (p < 0.05)

Furthermore, with increasing alternative ratio, the hardness (30%: 19,372a, 70%: 17,323b, 100%: 14,726c) and chewiness (30%: 3712a, 70%: 3354a, 100%: 2887b) showed significant decreasing trends (p < 0.05). Manisha et al. (2012) reported that the addition of sorbitol at a ratio ranging from 25 to 100% resulted in decreased hardness. In cakes replaced with isomaltooligosaccharide (IMO) syrup, hardness decreased with increasing replacement ratios (Lee et al., 2008). This is because of the role of sugar as a hardening agent that induces crystallization (Kim et al., 2017), and the decrease in sugar content is presumed to affect the decrease in hardness and chewiness.

Correlation between the physicochemical properties of scone samples

PCA of the physicochemical properties of the scone samples indicated that the first two dimensions, PC 1 (63.3%) and PC 2 (17.4%), accounted for 80.7% of the variance (Fig. 1). PC 1 was mainly separated by crust color (L, a, and b values) and texture properties. Samples with AL were predominantly located in PC 1 (+) and were characterized by higher crust color (a and b values) and texture properties (cohesiveness, chewiness, and springiness). Conversely, samples with ST and SC were situated in PC 1 (−) and had higher L value and hardness. The samples with xanthan gum were primarily located in PC 2 (+), indicating higher moisture content. Additionally, the specific volume was negatively correlated with the moisture content. Consequently, samples without xanthan gum were situated in PC 2 (−) and had a higher specific volume.

Fig. 1.

Fig. 1

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Principal component analysis (PCA) plot of (A) the physicochemical and textural properties and (B) their scone sample loading

Using the PCA results, HCPC was conducted, and the 19 scone samples were grouped into four clusters based on their similarities in physicochemical properties. Cluster 1 comprised samples with high hardness and moisture contents, namely, ST30G, ST70G, and ST100. Cluster 2 included samples with high L values, which were generally characterized by a high ratio of replacement with ST and SC. The samples with the lowest replacement ratios for each type of alternative sweetener were included in Cluster 3, which contained CON. Finally, Cluster 4 mostly comprised samples with AL, which were characterized by high a and b values, cohesiveness, chewiness, and springiness.

In summary (see Appendix 3), the type of alternative sweetener had a significant impact on the crust color and texture properties, whereas the presence or absence of xanthan gum affected the moisture content and specific volume. Ultimately, samples (ST30, SC30, and AL30G) classified in the same cluster as CON based on the PCA and HCPC results were used in a consumer acceptance test to determine their liking levels.

Consumer acceptance test

Effects on acceptance of scone samples

The means and standard deviations of the ratings for the overall liking, appearance, odor, taste/flavor, and texture liking of the scone samples evaluated on a 9-point hedonic scale are presented in Table 4. Overall liking was highest for CON, but there was no significant difference between CON (6.4a) and ST30 (6.2a). However, SC30 (5.4b) and AL30G (5.6b) were the least preferred samples. Moreover, ratings for odor, taste/flavor, and texture liking showed a generally similar trend to those for the overall liking. Notably, AL30G, with the lowest overall liking score, had the highest score for appearance liking. This is attributed to the high reactivity of AL in the Maillard reaction and caramelization, which decreases the L value and increases the b value compared to those of CON. Moss et al. (2022) found that muffins made with AL or tagatose as a replacement for sucrose had higher appearance liking scores, primarily driven by the surface browning observed in color testing. Notably, the crust color of AL30G showed the lowest L value of 70.8 and a relatively high b value of 31.5 (Table 2).

Table 4.

Ratings of liking for scone samples

Sample Overall Appearance Odor Flavor Texture
CON 6.4 ± 1.4a 6.2 ± 1.8a 6.8 ± 1.4a 6.3 ± 1.5a 6.3 ± 1.3a
ST30 6.2 ± 1.4a 5.9 ± 1.6a 6.2 ± 1.6b 5.7 ± 1.8b 5.8 ± 1.6ab
SC30 5.4 ± 1.4b 5.2 ± 1.6b 5.6 ± 1.6c 5.4 ± 1.9b 5.3 ± 1.6bc
AL30G 5.6 ± 1.8b 6.4 ± 1.5a 6.3 ± 1.5ab 5.4 ± 1.9b 5.1 ± 1.9c
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All values are presented as the mean ± standard deviation, 1 = dislike extremely, 5 = neither like nor dislike, 9 = like extremely

Different superscripts within a column indicate a significant difference (p < 0.05)

Penalty analysis of scone samples

The results of the penalty analysis for the intensity of color, sweetness, and crispiness, evaluated using a 5-point JAR scale, are shown in Fig. 2 and presented in Appendix 3. According to Appendix 3, the responses of 20% or more consumers were JAR, not enough (NE), and really not enough (RNE), indicating insufficient intensity of color, sweetness, and crispiness of the samples. In particular, considering sweetness, both NE (-1.3) and RNE (-0.7) had a significant impact on the mean drop.

Fig. 2.

Fig. 2

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Multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) plot for the level of JAR scale by individual consumers

The MCA map showed that Dim 1 (20.8%) and Dim 2 (16.0%) explained 36.8% of the total variance (Fig. 2). Dim 1 was divided into RNE (+) and JAR (−), where SC30 had many consumers who responded with RNE for all attributes. Conversely, CON had a high proportion of consumers who responded with JAR for all attributes. In Dim 2, ST30 and AL30G were positioned in Dim 2 (+) and Dim 2 (−), respectively. The intensity of sweetness for ST30 was JAR, whereas most consumers evaluated the intensity for color and crispiness as NE. In contrast, the intensity for color and crispiness of AL30G was JAR, but a high proportion of consumers rated its intensity of sweetness as NE. Overall, the overall liking score appeared to be influenced more by sweetness than by color or crispiness, which explains why the overall liking score of ST30 was higher than that of AL30G.

To summarize, this study compared the physicochemical properties of scone samples prepared with sucrose to those prepared with different types of sweeteners (stevia, sucralose, and allulose), ratios of sweeteners (30, 70, and 100%), and with or without xanthan gum. The findings showed the emergence of samples exhibiting similar characteristics to sucrose, as determined by cluster analysis. A consumer acceptance test was conducted to assess hedonic ratings and identify drivers of (dis) liking. Despite formulating the samples to match the sweetness of sucrose solely based on the relative sweetness of each sweetener, the perceived sweetness intensity of samples with sweeteners was lower than the sample with sucrose. This discrepancy could be attributed to the fact that relative sweetness is typically measured in aqueous solutions, suggesting that the expressed sweetness intensity might be diminished in scone products. Consequently, further research is needed to investigate the potent sweetness of scone products with different types and levels of sweeteners applied.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

10068_2023_1416_MOESM1_ESM.docx (128KB, docx)

Supplementary material 1 (DOCX 129.4 kb)

Acknowledgements

No funding was received.

Declarations

Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Footnotes

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