Influence of sugar substitutes in rheology of fruit gel

The dietary awareness of consumers has led to an interest in low-calorie food products in recent times. There is a trend in the food market for the development of food products by full or partial replacement of sugar using alternative sweeteners. Fruit gel is an intermediate moisture food containing fruit pulp, sugar, pectin, and acid. For a product like fruit gel, it is important to understand the relationships between the sensory perception of food gel and textural or rheological properties. A new product like a low-calorie fruit gel in which the sugar content is low has to be manufactured by controlling the sensory and textural perception of the product. Developing a product with a natural or artificial sweetener by partial or full substitution of sugar is a technical challenge. The chapter describes the rheological behavior of fruit gels as influenced by alternative sweeteners by partial or full replacement of sucrose. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of gelation for different sweeteners and linking them with the macroscale rheological properties of the fruit gels will provide better scientific insights into product reformulation.