Effect of Erythritol Substitution for Sucrose on Quality and Shelf Life of Coconut Candy under Modified Atmosphere Packaging
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Abstract
This research aimed to investigate the basic formulation, production process, and to evaluate the sensory, chemical, physical, and microbiological qualities of coconut candy, including the partial replacement of sugar with erythritol. Sensory evaluation results indicated that the control formulation exhibited high overall acceptability in terms of aroma, taste, texture, and overall liking, with a mean score of 8.15. Among the erythritol-substituted formulations, the sample containing 30% erythritol replacement received the highest consumer acceptance for appearance, color, aroma, taste, texture, and overall liking, with a mean score of 8.59. Chemical and physical analyses revealed that the formulation with 30%erythritol replacement had the lowest moisture content (2.08%) and the highest ash content (0.86%). The formulation containing 30% erythritol replacement exhibited the highest fat, carbohydrate, and protein contents, at 11.32%, 82.99%, and 2.16%, respectively. Regarding color characteristics, the control formulation showed the highest lightness value (L*), while the formulation with 30% erythritol replacement presented the highest redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) values. Microbiological analysis demonstrated that coconut stored under 100% carbon dioxide modified atmosphere had the longest shelf life of 12 days, whereas vacuum-packed samples exhibited the shortest shelf life of 3 days. Total viable counts exceeded the acceptable limit on day 13 for carbon dioxide storage and on day 4 for vacuum storage. However, Staphylococcus aureus levels in all samples remained below 100 CFU/g, in accordance with the standards established by the Department of Medical Sciences.
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ลิขสิทธ์ ของมหาวิทยาลัยเทคโนโลยีราชมงคลพระนครReferences
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