4. Conclusion
It is the general outcome of the study that it is possible to replace sucrose in muffin-type bakery products partially by a purified steviol glycoside (rebaudioside A) and to obtain properties of standard products as long as special attention is paid on the bulk sugar replacer. This statement is based on the results of sensory profiling, but also on instrumental analysis data. Ingredients which appear as specifically suitable to replace part of the sugar when Stevia is used as sweetener are inulin and polydextrose. Inulin has an energy content of approximately 5.8 kJ/g which is approximately one third of that of sucrose (Roberfroid, 2004). A replacement of 30% sugar by an inulin/water mixture of 1:2.33 therefore results in an energy reduction of 6 J/100 kJ. When polydextrose (nutritional energy of 4.2 kJ/g; Auerbach, Craig, Howlett, & Hayes, 2007) replaces 30% sugar, total energy is reduced by approximately 5 kJ/100 kJ. A further advantage of formulation modification is that also fibre content is affected so that the modified products are helpful in diminishing fibre uptake deficiency. Compared to the reference muffin with 1.3 g/100 g fibre, the replacement of 30% sugar by inulin increases fibre in muffins to 4.6 g/100 g so that it allows the claim “source of fibre” (EC, 2006). Muffins with polydextrose can be regarded as “high fibre” (7.1 g/100 g).