Do sugar substitutes affect quality characteristics and HMF levels of cakes?

Sugar substitutes have become a topic of interest with the revelation of the strong link between excessive sugar consumption and many chronic diseases. One of the components known to be harmful to human health as a result of mutagenic, carcinogenic and cytotoxic effects in bakery products is 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF). Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of using some sugar substitutes (liquid stevia, agave syrup, date syrup, apple juice concentrate) on the quality and HMF levels of cakes.

The total colour changes of the crumb and crust colour of all cakes with substitutes compared to the control group (sucrose) were visually noticeable (ΔE > 3). Mean values of hardness, baking loss, water activity were significantly higher and mean values of volume and symmetry index were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in all substituted cakes compared to the control group. A 100% substitution of sucrose with conventional sweeteners significantly decreased the energy (between 6.9% and 10.1%) and carbohydrate content (between 18.1% and 47.9%) of the cakes (P < 0.05). The HMF content of the cake sweetened only with liquid stevia was lower than the control group and this decrease was statistically significant (P < 0.05).

Stevia sweetened cake seems to be the best alternative with the lowest HMF content and the highest sensory analysis scores compared to other substitutes. Further studies are needed to determine the sweetness ratios of sugar substitutes, as well as to investigate the possibilities of their use in bakery products and develop new formulations to improve quality and sensory properties. © 2025 The Author(s). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.