Influence of Healthy Sweeteners (Tagatose and Oligofructose) on the Physicochemical Characteristics of Orange Marmalade

Today's society shows a growing interest in healthy, safe and high nutritional quality food. Thus, in this paper sweet orange marmalades have been developed using healthy sweeteners (tagatose and oligofructose) in different proportions. Analyses of Brix, pH, moisture, water activity, antioxidant capacity, optical and rheological properties have been carried out, initially and after 45 days of storage. Microbiological analyses have also been performed to determine their stability. Furthermore, a sensorial assessment has been conducted to find out acceptance of these new orange marmalades by consumers. The results showed that the highest proportion of oligofructose contributed to improve the initial antioxidant capacity of marmalades. The marmalade with the same proportions of oligofructose and tagatose was more consistent and showed a further increase in the elastic component over time. All marmalades had a similar appearance, but oligofructose reduced L*. Finally, orange marmalades made with healthy sweeteners were better scored. Practical Applications The development of new healthier marmalades offers new alternatives to the conventional ones not only to prevent caries and obesity but also to provide functional features associated with the use of tagatose and oligofructose as sweeteners. However, not always it is possible to replace traditional components by others and that is why it is so important to assess their technological influence. In this study, the viability of the use of both sweeteners to prepare orange marmalades has been checked.