Substituting sucralose with rebaudioside A in soy foods: equivalent sweetness, physicochemical analysis, microbiological assessment and acceptance test

Abstract Stevia rebaudiana (Bert.) Bertoni contains steviol glycosides with emphasis to rebaudioside A, which presents a stronger sweet flavor, more stability, good solubility and lower bitter residual taste, which benefits its application in foods and drinks. The objective of this study was to determine the equivalent amount of rebaudioside A necessary to promote the same degree of sweetness of sucralose in the grape- and peach-flavored soy beverages and evaluate their physicochemical characteristics and consumer acceptance. At the Natural Products Center of the State University of Maringa, the rebaudioside A was purified from the M1 Alvarez variety of Stevia plants. Through sensory analysis established that the ideal quantity of rebaudioside A to substitute sucralose in foods with peach soy and grape soy would be 3 times the quantity of sucralose. The results revealed no signifcant differences for the physicochemical and sensorial characteristics (p < 0.05) between the two formulations. The results also indicate that the rebaudioside A with high purity rate (97%) obtained from selected stevia varieties can substitute sucralose in peach soy foods and grape soy foods.