See

discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230689337

Quality characteristics of erythritol icebox

cookies

Article in Taiwanese Journal of Agricultural Chemistry and Food Science April 2010
DOI: 10.1002/9780470649671.ch3

CITATIONS READS

4 127

4 authors, including:

Sheng-Dun Lin
Hungkuang University
22 PUBLICATIONS 417 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

Available from: Sheng-Dun Lin

Retrieved on: 01 September 2016

64 99 48 2
Taiwanese Journal of Agricultural Chemistry and Food Science (April, 2010) 48(2): 64-73

Quality Characteristics of Erythritol Icebox Cookies

Ching-Ching Lee1, Yu-Ling Tsai2, Chun-Yeh Chen1 and Sheng-Dun Lin1*

1
Department of Food Science and Applied Biotechnology, Hungkuang University, 34 Chung-Chie Road, Shalu,
Taichung 43302, Taiwan, ROC
2
Department of Nutrition, Hungkuang University, 34 Chung-Chie Road, Shalu, Taichung 43302, Taiwan, ROC

(Accepted for publication: February 4, 2010)

Sucrose is one of the principal ingredients of cookies. But a sucrose-rich diet is associated with
lipogenesis and obesity. Erythritol is a noncariogenic, nonglycemic and low calorie sweetener that is safe for
diabetics. The study explored the feasibility of utilizing erythritol in icebox cookie making. Icebox cookies
were prepared with 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% replacement of sucrose with erythritol, respectively, and
evaluated for quality indices. The Hunter L value increased with the increased erythritol level, while the
product texture showed a reverse effect. No difference was found in the moisture, water activity, protein, fat,
ash, and dimensions of icebox cookies prepared with sucrose or erythritol. The erythritol content (dry basis)
in icebox cookies before and after baking was not significantly different. In descriptive analysis, the surface
color, sweetness, and hardness of icebox cookies became lighter, less sweet, and softer, respectively, as the
erythritol level increased and the sucrose level decreased. The 50%, 75%, and 100% erythritol icebox cookies
had a cooling sensation. The moistness of icebox cookies showed no difference among all samples. On a
seven-point hedonic test, the degree of surface color, sweetness, hardness, flavor and overall liking of icebox
cookies prepared with 0%, 25% and 50% replacement of sucrose with erythritol were moderately acceptable
(5.1 to 5.6, 5 = like slightly). However, the lower liking degree of sensory qualities of 100% erythritol icebox
cookies was observed. Overall, a partial replacement of sucrose with erythritol in icebox cookie making is
feasible.
Key words: Cookie, Erythritol, Sensory evaluation.

1 2 1 1*
1

2

25%50%75%100%
Hunter L

50%75%100%
100%
25%50%
100%

INTRODUCTION world. Sugar is one of the principal

ingredients in the manufacturing of
Cookies are consumed all over the cookies. It affects the flavor, dimensions,

* Corresponding author. E-mail: lin54@sunrise.hk.edu.tw


color, hardness and surface finish of
the products(1). Sucrose is the main sugar
utilized in the cookie industry. But
numerous studies have demonstrated that a
sucrose- or fructose-rich diet resulted
in hypertriglyceridemia, and insulin
resistance in target tissues such as liver
and adipose tissues(2-5). Therefore, it is
important to search suitable sweeteners
to replace traditional sugars in order to
improve the quality of cookies.
Sugar alcohols are polyhydroxyl
compounds with no reducing group. They
are used as sweetener in substitution for
sugar (6). Sugar alcohols such as xylitol,
D-glucitol and D-mannitol, are widely used
in pharmaceuticals, confectionery products,
chewing gums, and mixed juices(7). Among all
sugar alcohols currently in use, erythritol
showed good digestive tolerance by humans.
Erythritol is a 4-carbon sugar alcohol
and is 60 to 80% of the sweetness of
sucrose(8). Oku and Okazaki concluded that
the maximum dose of erythritol not causing
laxation is 0.66 g/kg body weight (BW) for
males and 0.80 g/kg BW for females(9). The
successive ingestion of erythritol daily
at doses of 1 g/kg BW (mean intake 78 g/
day) showed good tolerance by humans in
the repeat-dose study (10) . Storey et al.
observed that consumption of 20 and 35 g
erythritol by healthy volunteers, in a
liquid, is tolerated well, without showing
any intestinal symptoms. At the highest
level of erythritol intake (50 g), only
a significant increase in borborygmi and
nausea was observed (11). Previous studies
demonstrated that erythritol is rapidly
absorbed from the small intestine due
t o i t s l o w m o l e c u l a r w e i g h t (12-13). I t
is not systemically metabolized by the
human body, and is excreted unchanged in
the urine. Generally, the absorption of
erythritol in animals had been reported
to range from 60 to 90%. In humans, as in
animals, absorption ranges are up to 90%
or more (13). A small fraction (3-5%) of
unabsorbed erythritol is excreted with the
65
feces(14). The caloric value of erythritol
was estimated to be 0.4 kcal/g (15) . Under
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
labeling requirements, it has a caloric
value of 0.2 kcal/g, but some countries like
Japan label it at 0 kcal/g. Furthermore,
blood glucose and insulin levels do not
increase when erythritol is administered
orally to normal male subjects(16). From the
results of acute and subchronic studies in
animals, erythritol can be classified as
nontoxic(13). In addition, erythritol is also
noncariogenic(17). At present, erythritol was
accepted as food or food additive in many
countries (for example USA, Japan, French,
Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand), and the
FDA has declared erythritol GRAS (generally
recognized as safe) and can be used 100% as
a tabletop sweetener(18).
Erythritol had been used in bakery
p r o d u c t s s t u d i e s (19-20). A s o f t c a n d y ,
containing erythritol as the main sweetening
component, has a smooth texture and is
low in calories and less cariogenic than
candies containing sucrose(19). Chiffon cakes
made of a partial and total replacement of
sucrose with erythritol were lighter in
crust and crumb, and less sweet in crumb
than those prepared with 100% sucrose(20).
Since erythritol has a high digestive
tolerance and antitoxidant properties, and
is noncaloric, noncariogenic, nonglycemic,
it fits well functional food concepts
to which it confers a healthy image (18).
Therefore, it would be beneficial to
develop the new formulation of icebox
cookies produced with erythritol. The
objectives of this research were to replace
sucrose with erythritol in cookie making,
and to evaluate the influence of erythritol
on the quality of icebox cookies.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Ingredients of the icebox cookies
The formulation of the icebox cookies
used in this study was adapted from the
66
recipe of Hsu et al.(21). Icebox cookies were
prepared containing 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%
and 100% erythritol as a replacement
for sucrose. Cake flour (7.3% protein),
powdered sugar, food grade sodium chloride,
whole milk powder, shortening, butter and
eggs were purchased from the local market.
The erythritol (98% purity) was obtained
from Mitsubishi-Kagaku Foods Co., Tokyo in
Japan.
Preparation of the icebox cookies
The recipes for icebox cookies at 5
different erythritol levels were shown in
Table 1. To make the cookie dough, the
shortening and butter were mixed with
whisk attachment in a mixer (K5SS, Kitchen
Aid Inc., St. Joseph, MI, USA) on speed
5 set for 2 min. Then, powdered sugar,
erythritol and sodium chloride were added
into the mixer and mixed for 3 min at the
same speed. After that, the eggs was poured
into the mixer on speed 3 set for 1 min,
and then the sifted cake flour and whole
milk powder were poured into the mixer on
speed stir set for 5 min. The icebox cookie
dough (150 g) was immediately deposited
into a rectangular form model (12.5 4.0
3.0 cm), and frozen at -18 for 24 h.
The frozen dough was sliced into 0.5 cm
in thickness with a slicing machine. The
slice (4.0 3.0 0.5 cm) was deposited
on the prepared baking sheets, and then
baked at 180 for 15 min in a pre-heated
Table 1. Recipes of the icebox cookies
Ingredients (g)
C E25
Cake flour 400.0 400.0
Powdered sugar 200.0 150.0
Erythritol 0.0 50.0
Sodium chloride 2.0 2.0
Whole milk powder 24.0 24.0
Shortening 100.0 100.0
Butter 140.0 140.0
Whole egg 80.0 80.0
1 C, E25, E50, E75 and E100: prepared with 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% replacement of sucrose with erythritol, respectively.
99 48 2
oven (Sing Mine International Co., Ltd.,
Taichung, Taiwan). The cookies were allowed
to cool for 2 h and packed in low density
polyethylene (LDPE) packages at room
temperature before physicochemical quality
analyses and sensory evaluation. The test
icebox cookie samples prepared with 0%,
25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% replacement of
sucrose with erythritol were coded as C,
E25, E50, E75 and E100, respectively. Five
batches of icebox cookies were produced for
each recipe, and icebox cookies were mixed
before being drawn for quality analysis.
All treatments were randomly designed.
Physicochemical quality analyses
The moisture, crude protein, crude
fat, total ash contents of icebox cookies
were determined by Approved Methods 44-40,
46-11A, 30-10 and 08-01, respectively (22).
The nitrogen conversion factor used for
crude protein calculation was 6.25. The
carbohydrate content (%) was calculated by
subtracting the contents of crude protein,
fat, ash, moisture and erythritol from
100% of icebox cookies. The water activity
of the icebox cookie was measured by the
chilled mirror technique using an AquaLab
CX-2 water activity meter (Decagon Devices,
Pullman, WA, USA). Measurements of the
proximate compositions and water activity
were carried out in three replicates.
The dimensions of the icebox cookies
were measured using a vernier caliper
Cookies1
E50 E75 E100
400.0 400.0 400.0
100.0 50.0 0.0
100.0 150.0 200.0
2.0 2.0 2.0
24.0 24.0 24.0
100.0 100.0 100.0
140.0 140.0 140.0
80.0 80.0 80.0

(Mitutoyo Co., Kanagawa, Japan). Means and
standard deviations were calculated from 15
replicates.
The surface color of icebox cookies was
measured using a portable spectrophotometer
(Color Checker 545, Macbeth Division of
Kollmorgen Instruments, Newburge, NY) set
for Hunter L with a D65 illuminant at 10o.
Means and standard deviations of Hunter
L values were calculated from 15 icebox
cookies(23).
The hardness of icebox cookies was
determined according to the method of
Bernussi et al. with modification (23) . A
texture analyzer (TA-XT2, Stable Micro
Systems, Surrey, UK) was used for texture
evaluation. The hardness was determined
by penetration. A cookie was fitted into
the opening and tested with a cylinder
probe (P/5, 5 mm diameter) at a loading
speed of 2 mm/sec to a penetration depth
to 2 mm. Means and standard deviations of
the hardness were obtained from 15 icebox
cookies.
The erythritol content of the icebox
cookies was determined according to the
method of Lin et al. with modification(24). A
40 g sample of cookies were defatted with
n-hexane (3 300 mL) for 6 h in a shaker
incubator (100 rpm) at room temperature,
and the n-hexane remained in icebox cookie
was removed under reduced pressure in a
vacuum oven. Defatted sample (15 g) was
extracted with deionized water (70 mL) for
20 min in a shaking water bath (100 rpm)
at 60 , and then filtering through Whatman
No. 1 filter paper. The cooled filtrate
was adjusted the volume to 100 mL using
deionized water. The filtrate was filtered
using a PVDF syringe filter (13 mm
0.45 m) prior to injection into a HPLC.
The HPLC system consisted of a Hitachi
L-2130 pump (Hitachi High-Technologies
Co., Tokyo, Japan), a Hitachi L-2490 RI
detector (Hitachi High-Technologies Co.,
Tokyo, Japan), and an Interaction Ion-300
chromatography column (300 mm 7.8 mm,
Interaction Chromatography Inc., San Jose,
67
CA, USA). The column was kept at 75 , and
0.1 N sulphuric acid was used as mobile
phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. Content
of erythritol was calculated on the basis
of the calibration curve of erythritol. The
analysis of erythritol content of icebox
cookies was carried out in triplicates.
Sensory evaluation
Descriptive analysis. The descriptive
sensory analysis was done by a panel of 7
trained evaluators (2 males, 5 females,
24-36 years old) according to the method
of Coleman and Harbers(25). This panel had
been working in the sensory field of bakery
products for more than one year. They
were trained with triangle and rank-order
tests for two months. Icebox cookies were
prepared with different erythritol contents
for use as samples during training.
Panelists received five samples held at
room temperature at each session. Panelists
were seated in individual sensory booths
maintained at 24 1 and 54-62% RH, and
were provided with distilled water to rinse
between samples. All samples were coded
with random three-digit numbers. Panelists
were not informed about the ingredient
treatments. Samples were placed on white
plates and evaluated for moistness,
sweetness, hardness, and a cooling effect
under a red light to eliminate possible
surface color influences. Surface color
of icebox cookies was evaluated from
samples displayed on white plates under
daylight lamps. Five-point category scales
were provided for each sensory quality
characteristic of icebox cookies with 1 and
5 representing, respectively, extremely
light and dark color for surface color,
extremely dry (requires much saliva) and
extremely moistness (does not require much
saliva) for moistness, extremely light and
strong sweetness for sweetness, extremely
softness and hardness for hardness, and
extremely light and strong cooling for
cooling sensation (refreshing sensation in
68 99 48 2

the mouth while the cookie was chewed)(26).
Hedonic test. The hedonic test was
used to determine the degree of surface
color, sweetness, hardness, flavor and
overall liking for the icebox cookies.
For this study, the untrained consumers
were recruited from the students, staff
and faculty at Hungkuang University. All
consumer panel members were interested
volunteers and were informed that they
would be evaluating icebox cookies. The
84 volunteers (29 males and 55 females)
received five samples and were asked to
rate them based on degree of liking on a
seven-point hedonic scale (1 = dislike
extremely, 4 = neither like nor dislike, 7
= like extremely). They received samples
held at room temperature. Samples were
placed on white plates and were identified
with random three-digit numbers. Panelists
evaluated the samples in a testing area,
and were instructed to rinse their mouths
with water between samples to minimize any
residual effect.
Statistical analysis
Each cookie-making and measurement
was conducted in triplicate, except for
the dimension (n = 15), surface color (n
= 15), hardness (n = 15), descriptive
analysis (n = 7), and hedonic test (n =
84). The experimental data were subjected
to an analysis of variance for a completely
random design using a Statistical Analysis
System (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC,
2000). Duncan's multiple range tests were
used to determine the difference among
means at the level of 0.05.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Proximate composition and water activity
The moisture content and water activity
of icebox cookies ranges from 2.04% to
2.19% and from 0.224 to 0.227, respectively
(Table 2). They were not significantly
different for any treatment (p > 0.05). This
low moisture content ensures that cookies
are generally free from microbiological
spoilage and confers a long shelf life
on the products (27). Besides, contents of
protein, fat, and ash were not varied
remarkably. Carbohydrate contents were
found in the descending order of C > E25
> E50 > E75 > E100 whereas erythritol
contents were in the reversed order. The
calories of protein, carbohydrate, fat
and erythritol are 4, 4, 9 and 0.2 kcal/g,
respectively. The calories of 0%, 25%,
50%, 75% and 100% erythritol cookies are
521.1, 498.2, 472.3, 449.5 and 427.0 kcal/100
g, respectively.
Physicochemical quality characteristics
All cookies maintianed rectangular

Table 2. P roximate composition and water activity of icebox cookies prepared with
erythritol replacement for sucrose

Composition Cookies1
C E25 E50 E75 E100
Moisture (%) 2.19 0.11A2 2.08 0.07A 2.17 0.09A 2.04 0.13A 2.13 0.12A
Protein (%) 6.05 0.26A 6.16 0.20A 6.27 0.18A 6.09 0.19A 6.31 0.40A
Fat (%) 26.79 0.80A 26.68 0.41A 26.49 0.46A 26.69 0.31A 26.59 0.70A
Ash (%) 1.03 0.13A 0.98 0.07A 1.02 0.10A 1.02 0.08A 0.97 0.05A
Erythritol (%) 0.00 0.00E 6.03 0.14D 12.47 0.22C 18.87 0.46B 24.63 0.21A
Carbohydrate (%) 63.94 0.78A 58.07 1.65B 51.58 0.43C 45.29 0.69D 39.37 0.54E
Water activity 0.227 0.005A 0.227 0.007A 0.226 0.004A 0.225 0.006A 0.224 0.003A
1 C, E25, E50, E75 and E100: prepared with 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% replacement of sucrose with erythritol, respectively.
2 Each value is expressed as mean SD (n = 3). Means with different capital letter within a row are significantly different (p < 0.05).

in shape. The length and width of baked
icebox cookies were larger than those
of the cookie dough slices (4.0 3.0
0.5 cm) (Table 3). But the thickness of
baked icebox cookies was smaller than that
of the cookie dough slices. Significant
differences did not occur among the
length, width and thickness of the baked
icebox cookies. The results indicated that
the dimension of icebox cookie was not
affected by the replacement of sucrose with
erythritol.
Surface color data of cookies was
expressed by the Hunter system. The
Hunter L value is a measure of the light-
dark fraction of cookie surface color.
The L values of icebox cookies were
affected by the replacement of sucrose
with erythritol (Table 3). In general, as
erythritol level increased, the surface
color of icebox cookies became lighter.
The result may be due to the reason that
erythritol is polyhydroxyl compounds with
no reducing group, and it does not react
with amino acids by Maillard reaction, and
caramelization(8,28).
Sucrose acts as a hardening agent by
crystallization when the cookie cools,
which makes the product crisp(29). If the
sucrose were replaced with corn syrup, with
less sugar crystallization, the cookie has
different snapping characteristics because
Table 3. Physicochemical quality of icebox cookies prepared with erythritol replacement
for sucrose
Physicochemical quality
C E25
Length (cm) 5.07 0.16A2 5.13 0.22A
Width (cm) 4.43 0.17A 4.30 0.22A
Thickness (cm) 0.37 0.05A 0.37 0.05A
Color (Hunter L) 71.84 0.97D 72.40 0.76CD
Hardness (g) 2091 61A 1973 54B
Erythritol (% db, before 0.00 0.00E 6.29 0.17D
baking)
Erythritol (% db, after 0.00 0.00E 6.16 0.14D
baking)
1 C, E25, E50, E75 and E100: prepared with 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% replacement of sucrose with erythritol, respectively.
2 Each value is expressed as mean SD. Values of length, width, thickness, Hunter L, and hardness from 15 replications. Values
of erythritol from 3 replications. Means with different capital letter within a row are significantly different (p < 0.05).
69
the presence of syrup within the cookie
makes it softer and allows it to bend under
compression(30). Cookies prepared with sugar
required more force to break than the
acesulfame K cookies(31). Raffilose was used
as a sugar replacer by Gallagher et al.(1).
Peak force values of the test biscuits
were found to be significantly lower than
the control biscuit, indicating a lower
snapping characteristics, and therefore
softer eating characteristics. Olinger and
Velasco also found the softening effect
of biscuit when they substituted sugar
with sugar alcohols (such as maltitol,
sorbitol and isomalt) during biscuit
manufacturing (6). But the lactitol cookie
had a hardness characteristic similar to
that of control. In our study, the hardness
of icebox cookies measured by a texture
analyzer showed that the cookies became
softer with increasing levels of erythritol
(Table 3), which indicates that the sucrose
affects the hardness of icebox cookies. The
hardness change of icebox cookies could be
related to the fact that when erythritol
is combined with fats, such as butter, the
cooling effect can make the texture waxy(32).
DeCock and Bechert (18) reported the
hydroxy radical scavenging activity of
erythritol and other sugar alcohol (such
as sorbitol, xylitol and mannitol) was
confirmed in vitro test. Since erythritol,
Cookies1
E50 E75 E100
5.20 0.11A 5.14 0.15A 5.19 0.16A
4.41 0.15A 4.32 0.18A 4.41 0.19A
0.38 0.04A 0.37 0.05A 0.38 0.04A
72.92 1.11C 74.83 1.41B 76.78 0.53A
1843 34C 1462 42D 1147 41E
12.76 0.15C 19.31 0.59B 24.98 0.66A
12.75 0.24C 19.26 0.45B 25.17 0.19A
70 99 48 2

as opposed to other sugar alcohol, is so replacement was increased. Icebox cookies

well absorbed for more than 90% and not
metabolized, it has a great potential
to act as an efficient hydroxyl radical
scavenger in the human body. Therefore, its
stability during baking is important. The
erythritol content (dry basis) in icebox
cookies before and after baking was not
different (p > 0.05) (Table 3). The results
showed that erythritol is a heat stable
compound, and that its sweet taste remained
unchanged following heat exposure.
Sensory evaluation
Descriptive analysis. The results for
descriptive analysis of all samples were
shown (Table 4). Mean scores from surface
color evaluation of cookies decreased (p
> 0.05) as the percentage of erythritol
containing only sucrose had yellowish brown
color while 100 % erythritol icebox cookies
had light surface color. The appearance of
icebox cookies made with erythritol was
shown in Fig. 1. Panelist scores agreed
with Hunter L values, which indicated that
the surface color of cookies became lighter
as the erythritol content increased.
Excessive exterior browning in sucrose
containing cookies has been attributed to
the effects of caramelization and Maillard
reactions between the protein and the
sugar present(28). For moistness, which is
related to the eating quality of icebox
cookies, the moistness scores of samples
were not significantly different for any
treatment (p > 0.05). The results were
agreed with moisture measurement, among
which no differences were found (Table 2).

Table 4. D escriptive analysis scores of icebox cookies prepared with erythritol

replacement for sucrose

Cookies1
C E25 E50 E75 E100
Color 4.19 0.11A2 4.09 0.12A 3.86 0.14B 3.40 0.24C 2.59 0.19D
Moistness 2.91 0.15A 3.03 0.17A 2.90 0.18A 2.94 0.23A 3.07 0.08A
Sweetness 3.10 0.15A 3.00 0.24A 2.79 0.18B 2.57 0.13C 2.12 0.13D
Hardness 3.81 0.16A 3.74 0.17A 3.52 0.19B 3.01 0.18C 2.38 0.18D
Cooling - - 0.59 0.13C 0.84 0.28B 1.92 0.21A
1 C, E25, E50, E75 and E100: prepared with 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% replacement of sucrose with erythritol, respectively.
2E ach value is expressed as mean SD. Means with different capital letter within a row are significantly different (p < 0.05).
-: Not detected.

Fig. 1. The appearance of icebox cookies made with erythritol*

*C
 , E25, E50, E75 and E100 indicate icebox cookies prepared with 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% replacement of
sucrose with erythritol, respectively.

The control icebox cookies had the highest
mean sweetness scores. The sweetness scores
of icebox cookies were subsequently reduced
when level of erythritol replacement
was increased. The effect of erythritol
replacement on sweetness could be the
reason for the sweetness of erythritol
being about 60% to 80% compared to that
of sucrose(8). Hardness scores among icebox
cookies decreased significantly with the
increasing erythritol level (p < 0.05).
The hardness score of E100 was lower than
that of any other icebox cookies, which
indicated that the texture of E100 was
softer. These results agreed with hardness
measurements in this study (Table 3), which
indicated that the E100 was softer than
the other icebox cookies. In addition to
the sensory results above, the panel found
a cooling sensation of E50, E75, and E100.
Another sugar alcohol, xylitol, applied for
total replacement of sucrose in cookies
also had pronounced cooling effect with
aftertaste(26). The cooling effect of icebox
cookies may be due to the negative heat of
dissolution of erythritol(28).
Hedonic test. For measuring product
preference, the hedonic scale is a unique
scale, providing results that are both
reliable and valid (33) . No statistically
significant differences evaluated by the
untrained consumers were found in the
surface color, sweetness, hardness, flavor
and overall liking scores between C and E25
Table 5. Hedonic test scores of icebox cookies prepared with erythritol replacement for
sucrose
C E25
Color 5.6 0.8A2 5.4 0.8A
Sweetness 5.6 0.7A 5.6 0.5A
Hardness 5.6 0.5A 5.4 0.5A
Flavor 5.4 0.5A 5.4 0.5A
Overall 5.4 0.5A 5.3 0.5AB
1 C, E25, E50, E75 and E100: prepared with 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% replacement of sucrose with erythritol, respectively.
2 S even-point hedonic scale with 1, 4 and 7 representing extremely dislike, neither like nor dislike, and extremely like,
respectively. Each value is expressed as mean SD (n = 84). Means with different capital letter within a row are significantly
different (p < 0.05).
71
(Table 5). The C and E25 had the highest
scores among all samples. On the other
hand, sensory characteristics liking scores
of E100 were the lowest. On a seven-point
hedonic scale, the sensory results of the
C, E25, and E50 were in the range of 5.1 to
5.6 (5 = like slightly), indicating that
these three icebox cookies were moderately
acceptable. The sensory characteristics
liking results pointed out that a partial
replacement of sucrose with up to 50%
erythritol in icebox cookies is feasible.
CONCLUSIONS
Erythritol has a good tolerance by
humans, and is a noncariogenic, nonglycemic
and low calorie sweetener. In addition, it
possesses antioxidant properties. Baked
food products are enjoyed by consumers
all over the world. Because of their high
consumption, they are potential carriers
of bioactive compounds. This study showed
that the water activity and dimensions
of icebox cookies were not affected by
replacement of sucrose with erythritol. The
sensory quality characteristics scores in
the descriptive analysis and hedonic test
were not significantly different between
C and E25. The degree of sensory quality
characteristics liking of icebox cookies
prepared with 0-50% replacement of sucrose
with erythritol was moderately acceptable.
Based on the results obtained, the icebox
Cookies1
E50 E75 E100
5.1 0.8B 4.6 0.7C 3.9 0.6D
5.1 0.6B 4.4 0.7C 3.3 0.5D
5.1 0.6B 4.4 0.7C 3.4 0.5D
5.1 0.6B 4.1 0.7C 3.3 0.5D
5.1 0.7B 4.2 0.8C 3.0 0.8D
72
cookies formulated with partial replacement
of sucrose with up to 50% erythritol
had sensory and physicochemical quality
characteristics comparable with cookies
prepared with 100% sucrose. A partial
replacement of erythritol for sucrose in
icebox cookie might produce a reduced-
calorie cookie with healthy properties.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This research was supported by a grant
(HKC-92-A-24) from Hungkuang University of
Taiwan.
REFERENCES
(1) E. Gallagher, C. M. Obrien, A. G. M. Scannell and E.
K. Arendt: Evaluation of sugar replacers in short dough
biscuit production. J. Food Eng., 56: 261-263 (2003).
(2) Y. B. Lombardo, S. Drago, A. Chicco, P. Fainstein-Day,
R. Gutman, J. J. Gagliardino and C. L. Gomes Dumm:
Long-term administration of a sucrose-rich diet to normal
rats: relationship between metabolic and hormonal
profiles and morphological changes in the endocrine
pancreas. Metab. Clin. Exp., 45: 1527-1532 (1996).
(3) M. J. Pagliassotti, P. A. Prach, T. A. Koppenhafer and
D. A. Pan: Changes in insulin action, triglycerides, and
lipid composition during sucrose feeding in rats. Am. J.
Physio., 271: R1319-R1326 (1996).
(4) M. E. DAlesandro, A. G. Chicco, Y. B. Lombardo: A
long-term sucrose-rich diet increases diacylglycerol
content and membrane nPKC expression and alters
glucose metabolism in skeletal muscle of rats. Nutr. Res.,
26: 289-296 (2006).
(5) Y. B. Lombardo and A. G. Chicco: Effects of dietary
polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids on dyslipidemia and
insulin resistance in rodents and humans. A review. J.
Nutr. Biochem., 17: 1-13 (2006).
(6) P. M. Olinger and V. S. Velasco: Opportunities and
advantages of sugar replacement. Cereal Foods World,
41: 110-117 (1996).
(7) S. Nojiri, N. Taguchi, M. Oishi and S. Suzuki: Deter-
mination of sugar alcohols in confectioneries by high-
performance liquid chromatography after nitrobenzoyla-
tion. J. Chromatogr. A., 893: 195-200 (2000).
(8) J. Goossens and H. Rper: Erythritol: a new sweetener.
Food Sci. Technol. Today, 8: 144-149 (1994).
(9) T. Oku and M. Okazaki: Laxative threshold of sugar
alcohol erythritol in human subjects. Nutr. Res., 16: 577-
589 (1996).
(10) W. Tetzloff, F. Dauchy, S. Medimagh, D. Carr and A. Br:
Tolerance to subchronic, high-dose ingestion of erythritol
in human volunteers. Regul. Toxicol. Pharmacol., 24:
S286-S295 (1996).
(11) D . Storey, A. Lee, F. Bornet and F. Brouns: Gastro-
intestinal tolerance of erythritol and xylitol ingested in a
liquid. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr., 61: 349-354 (2007).
99 48 2
(12) T. Oku and K. Noda: Influence of chronic ingestion of
newly developed sweetener, erythritol on growth and
gastrointestinal function of the rats. Nutr. Res., 10: 987-
996 (1990).
(13) I. C. Munro, W.O. Bernt, J. F. Borzelleca, G. Flamm, B.
S. Lynch, E. Kennepohl, E. A. Br and J. Modderman:
Erythritol: an interpretive summary of biochemical,
metabolic, toxicological and clinical data. Food Chem.
Toxicol., 36: 1139-1174 (1998).
(14) H. P. Til, C. F. Kuper, H. E. Falke and A. Br: Subchronic
oral toxicity studies with erythritol in mice and rats.
Regul. Toxicol. Pharmacol., 24: S221-231 (1996).
(15) F. R. J. Bornet, A. Blayo, F. Dauchy and G. Slama:
Plasma and urine kinetics of erythritol after oral ingestion
by healthy humans. Reg. Toxicol. Pharmacol., 24: S280-
S285 (1996).
(16) K . Noda, K. Nakayama and T. Oku: Serum glucose
and insulin levels and erythritol balance after oral
administration of erythritol in healthy subjects. Eur. J.
Clin. Nutr., 48: 286-292 (1994).
(17) J. Kawanabe, M. Hirasawa, T. Takeuchi, T. Oda and T.
Ikeda: Non-cariogenicity of erythritol as a substrate.
Caries Res., 26: 358-362 (1992).
(18) P. de Cock and C. L. Bechert: Erythritol. Functionality in
noncaloric functional beverages. Pure Appl. Chem., 74:
1281-1289 (2002).
(19) T. Kondou and A. Yuki: Confectionery erythritol for
reduced-calorie, less cariogenic soft candy. Trends Food
Sci. Technol., 7: 206 (1996).
(20) S . D. Lin, C. F. Hwang and C. H. Yeh: Physical and
sensory characteristics of chiffon cake prepared with
erythritol as replacement for sucrose. J. Food Sci., 68:
2107-2110 (2003).
(21) H. C. Hsu, D. H. Huang and D. T. Gu: Cake and Pastry
Technology. 3rd ed. pp. 286-292,380. China Grain
Products Research and Development Institute, Taipei,
ROC (1999).
(22) AACC. Approved Methods of the AACC. The American
Association of Cereal Chemists. St. Paul, MN, USA
(2000).
(23) A. L. M. Bernussi, Y. K. Chang and F. Martinez-Bustos:
Effects of production by microwave heating after
conventional baking on moisture gradient and product
quality of biscuits (cookies). Cereal Chem., 75: 606-611
(1998).
(24) S. J. Lin, C. Y. Wen, J. C. Liau and W. S. Chu: Screening
and production of erythritol by newly isolated osmophilic
yeast-like fungi. Process Biochem., 36: 1249-1258 (2001).
(25) P. E. Coleman and C. A. Z. Harbers: High fructose corn
syrup: Replacement for sucrose in angel cake. J. Food
Sci., 48: 452-456 (1983).
(26) E. Winkelhausen, R. Jovanovic-Malinovska, E. Velickova
and S. Kuzmanova: Sensory and microbiological quality
of a baked product containing xylitol as an alternative
sweetener. Int. J. Food Prop., 10: 639-649 (2007).
(27) P. Wade: Introduction to biscuit-making. In: Biscuits,
Cookies and Crackers. Volume 1. The principles of the
craft. (P. Wade ed.), 1st ed., pp.1-17. Elsevier Science,
New York, USA (1988).
(28) Y. F. Wang and H. Y. Peng: A new super star: a natural
calorie-free sweetener-erythritol. Food Ind. Taiw., 30: 23-
31 (1998).
(29) M. C. Olewnik and K. Kulp: The effect of mixing time and

ingredient variation on farinograms of cookie doughs.
Cereal Chem., 61: 532-537 (1984).
(30) L. P. Curley and R. C. Hoseney: Effects of corn sweeteners
on cookie quality. Cereal Chem., 61: 274-278 (1984).
(31) L . M. Bullock, A. P. Handel, S. Segall and P. A.
Wasserman: Replacement of simple sugars in cookie
73
dough. Food Technol., 46: 82-86 (1992).
(32) wiseGeek: What is Erythritol? http://www.wisegeek.com/
what-is-erythritol.htm (2009).
(33) H. Stone and J. L. Sidel: Sensory evaluation practices,
2nd ed. Academic Press, California, USA (1993).