Sucrose replacement in high ratio white layer cakes

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Nutritional Science
• Baking Technology

Background:

• Alternative sweeteners offer reduced-calorie options for baked goods.
• Sugar alcohols and natural sweeteners can directly replace sucrose due to similar bulk.
• High-intensity sweeteners require bulking agents for optimal cake texture.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate alternative sweeteners and bulking agents for white layer cake production.
• To identify combinations yielding high-quality cakes with reduced caloric content.
• To assess consumer acceptance of cakes made with various sweeteners.

Main Methods:

• Baking trials using different sweeteners (maltitol, erythritol, fructose, sucralose, stevia) and bulking agents (maltodextrin, polydextrose).
• Sensory evaluation of cake flavor, texture, and overall liking compared to a sucrose control.
• Caloric content analysis of cakes formulated with alternative sweeteners.

Main Results:

• Maltitol produced acceptable cakes, while erythritol and fructose resulted in undesirable outcomes.
• Maltodextrin and polydextrose were suitable bulking agents, yielding cakes similar to controls.
• Sucralose-sweetened cakes had acceptable flavor, but stevia imparted a metallic aftertaste; sucralose with maltodextrin was preferred over sucralose with polydextrose.
• Cakes with maltitol were comparable to sucrose in consumer acceptance, outperforming those with maltodextrin and sucralose.

Conclusions:

• Replacing sucrose with maltitol in white layer cakes reduces caloric content by 16% without quality loss.
• Maltitol is a viable low-calorie sucrose substitute for high-quality baked goods.
• Certain alternative sweeteners and bulking agents require further optimization for successful cake formulation.