Unravelling the physicochemical features of allulose and kestose as sugar alternatives in chemically-leavened baked goods

The feasibility of two natural sweeteners (allulose and kestose) as sugar alternatives was evaluated in chemically-leavened baked products. Sucrose in muffins was replaced with allulose and kestose at two different levels (50 and 100 g/100 g) and their effects on the quality attributes of muffins were characterized primarily in terms of physical, rheological, tomographical, and sensory features. Regardless of the sweeteners, shear-thinning behaviors were clearly observed in the muffin batters. However, the batter samples with allulose showed relatively lower viscosity and less shear-thinning. The use of allulose raised the viscoelastic properties of the batters at temperatures higher than 70°C, while the kestose batter showed a similar viscoelastic pattern to the sucrose sample. Kestose behaved similarly to sucrose in terms of browning, while allulose significantly contributed to the browning reaction during the baking process. The use of kestose for sucrose positively impacted the expansion of muffins and resulted in a softer texture. Furthermore, tomographical analysis revealed that, unlike allulose, the replacement of sucrose with kestose produced muffins with higher total porosity and larger pore size distribution. When half of the sucrose was replaced with kestose, similar sensory properties, except for sweetness, were distinctly observed.