Composition of Commercial Licorice Candies and Development of Sugar-Reduced Licorice-Type Extruded Soft Candy Using...

Candy licorice is a confection consisting mainly of wheat flour and sugar syrup. In this study, resistant dextrin was used as a sugar substitute due to its beneficial properties, including fiber content, low sugar content, and low caloric value. In the first part of the study, the profiles of monosaccharides (glucose, fructose) and disaccharides (sucrose, maltose, and lactose) as well as the amounts of dietary fiber, total sugar, ash, crude protein, moisture, and fat (saturated, unsaturated, MUFA, and PUFA) were determined in different products (n = 5). In the second part, an optimization study was performed on licorice-type extruded soft sugar by adding resistant dextrin. The response variables for optimization included color (L*, b*, and a*), textural properties (hardness and chewiness), physicochemical properties (pH, water activity (a _w), and total soluble solids), and sensory attributes (taste, structure, and general acceptability). The obtained and validated optimum composition was found for sucrose, resistant dextrin, and wheat flour as 15.0 g/100 g, 7.49 g/100 g, and 32.51 g/100 g, respectively. The R ² values of models determined for these variables were between 0.739 and 0.999. Significant models were determined for pH, a _w, L*, hardness, chewiness, and sensory properties (structure and general acceptability) (p < 0.05). The L*, a*, and b* values for the optimized candy sample with Brix, pH, and a _w values of 86.50, 2.83, and 0.6056, respectively, were 36.415, 17.798, and 3.262, respectively. The hardness of the sample was measured at 1588 g, while the chewiness value was 246.14. Hardness and chewiness values increased due to the amounts of wheat flour and resistant dextrin. Sensory analysis was conducted using a 9-point hedonic scale, evaluating taste, texture, and overall acceptability. The optimized sample received a score of 7.00 for taste, 7.20 for texture, and 7.30 for overall acceptability. Based on our findings, resistant dextrin can serve as an effective sucrose alternative and bulking agent in the development of low-calorie licorice, offering optimized texture, physicochemical characteristics, and sensory qualities.