Assessment of possibilities of strawberry jam reformulation

Abstract

The prevalence of excessive weight gain, obesity, and associated diseases are permanently increasing. Therefore, the interest in food products with a composition suitable for people with the aforementioned health problems is also on the rise. The changes in food composition, nowadays often called reformulation, are mainly focused on reducing the amount of salt, sugar, or fat. Strawberry spreads with different sugar (10 – 40%) and strawberry (20 – 50%) content were prepared and the influence of strawberry jam composition on gel stiffness, colour, and sensory parameters was studied. This study aimed to determine the sensorial and technological limits (sugar and strawberry content) of strawberry jam reformulation. Carrageenan was chosen as a suitable gelling agent for the preparation of these reformulated strawberry products. strawberry spreads. The applicable concentration of carrageenan for the ideal stiffness of strawberry spreads was 2%. The results of the maximum compression force show a statistically significant increase of gel stiffness with increasing addition of strawberry puree, the effect of sugar content was also statistically significant (p = 0.05). This study showed that strawberry spreads with low strawberry and/or sugar content are sensorially acceptable.

Keywords

• fruit spreads
• carrageenan
• texture characteristics
• colour