Possibility of sugar substitution with steviol-glycosides in elderflower liqueur production: consumer acceptance, sugar content, antioxidant activity and phenolic profile

Due to containing more than 100 g/L of sugar, liqueurs are high-calorie spirits, providing consumers only ‘empty calories’ with no nutritional value or benefit. Elderflower is intriguing as a possible ingredient in creative alcoholic beverages, yet it is rarely used for the manufacturing of commercial spirits. This is the first study aiming to use steviol glycosides powder (SGP) to reduce the amount of sugar in elderflower liqueur. Optimal sweetness of liqueur and equivalent sweetness of SGP were determined by sensory evaluation. Four samples, one prepared with only sucrose as a sweetener and three with 25%, 50%, and 75% of sucrose replaced with commercial SGP, were subjected to consumer acceptance tests. The overall acceptance of all samples was near and in the range of liking, with hedonic scores ranging from 5.6 to 6.6, indicating the promising liqueurs’ commercial potential. Superior concentrations of chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid were found in liqueurs. The total phenolic content of liqueurs increased as SGP concentration increased, while the sample with the highest SGP content had the greatest capacity to scavenge DPPH. Functional and sensory properties of novel liqueurs indicate the promising potential of sugar substitution by SGP in liqueur production.