RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: The aims of this study are to (i) evaluate the effects of color enhancers, caramel (C) and molasses (M), on acrylamide and 5-hydroxylmethylfurfural (HMF) formation in non-centrifugal cane sugar (NCS) and to (ii) perform nine-point hedonic scale and evaluation of sensory attributes, encompassing the appearance, flavor, texture and aftertaste, by 71 consumers on NCS, NCS_C, and NCS products made with a blend of molasses and sugar (NCS_MS) and steam processing (NCS_S). RESULTS: With the addition of molasses and caramel at the maximum allowable level of 5 g kg-1 in sugarcane juice, significantly greater acrylamide or HMF did not accumulate in NCS_C and NCS_M during the thermal manufacturing process, while color values of NCS_C significantly changed (P < 0.05). The increases in acrylamide and HMF contents were influenced by pH because they were produced by the Maillard reaction. Hedonic responses showed that NCS_MS was rated with the highest score for overall acceptance, whereas NCS_S, with the lowest content of acrylamide, exhibited the lowest score for every attribute. In addition, the appearance acceptance score of NCS_C was significantly higher than that of NCS (P < 0.05). Significant differences were also found between NCS and NCS_C in the frequency of 9 of 16 items with which consumers selected to characterize the appearance in a check-all-that-apply questionnaire (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The association between hedonic evaluations and sensory profiles in visual attributes of NCS_C indicated that caramel could be a promising addition in Maillard reaction-mitigated NCS products to improve consumer preferences through color strengthening without safety concerns. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

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RESUMEN

Calcium citrate, chitosan, and chitooligosaccharide were added to sugarcane juice to investigate their effect on color, pH, antioxidant activity, reducing sugar, acrylamide and HMF mitigation in dark brown sugar production. Results showed that the content of 52-67% acrylamide in the dark brown sugar was mitigated with 0.1-1.0% chitosan addition and the reducing power of dark brown sugar increased with 0.5-1.0% chitosan addition. Furthermore, the addition of 0.5-1.0% chitosan or chitooligosaccharide increased HMF formation. Only the pH of dark brown sugar with chitosan addition was lower than that of other dark brown sugars. This is due to the low pH condition in dark brown sugar mitigating Maillard reaction and acrylamide formation. When the pH of sugarcane juice with chitosan adjusted back to pH 7 again, the acrylamide content of dark brown sugars significant increased (p < 0.05). Acrylamide and HMF are both produced through the Maillard reaction, the lower pH will cause the hydrolysis of sucrose to produce more HMF and reducing sugar. The L values and white index of dark brown sugar with 0.5-1.0% added chitosan were lower than those of control dark brown sugar (p < 0.05). High negative correlation was observed between HMF and acrylamide in the present study.