Enhancing sucrose sweetness perception through protein-sucrose composite particles and protein-assisted modulation of...

This work addressed the challenge of reducing sucrose content while maintaining sweetness perception in food systems. Based on the idea that sucrose sweetness is mainly captured from the dissolved fraction at the crystal surface during oral processing, rather than from the entire crystal mass, a protein-assisted strategy was proposed to partially replace internal sucrose with protein while preserving perceived sweetness. Soy protein isolate (SPI) and whey protein isolate (WPI), with and without heat treatment, were first characterized and evaluated for their interactions with mucin and their effects on mucin microrheological behavior. The results showed that both proteins interacted with mucin and altered the interfacial and microrheological properties of the mucin system, while heat treatment further modified these effects through structural changes in the proteins. Based on this, protein-sucrose composite particles were prepared using a protein-assisted particle formation process. Structural characterization showed that the particles retained the characteristic crystalline phase of sucrose while containing detectable protein-associated regions. Ex vivo porcine tongue experiments demonstrated that the protein-sucrose composite particles reduced burst release and prolonged sucrose retention on the tongue surface. Application in chocolate further showed that these particles enhanced sweetness perception compared with pure sucrose particles at the same formulation level. Overall, this work provides a novel sucrose reduction strategy by using proteins as inert fillers and oral-interface modulators, thereby improving the sweetness perception efficiency of sucrose and offering new insight for the development of reduced-sugar foods.