Agave Syrup in Traditional Indian Desserts: A Sensory Evaluation

Sugar is among the least beneficial foods for health and is often referred to as a sweet poison due to its numerous health hazards. To address this issue, the food industry needs to explore, study, and shift to healthier food choices, such as agave syrup, which has a good potential as a natural sweetener. This study explores the acceptance level of traditional Indian desserts seviyan kheer and rawa sheera where sugar was substituted with agave syrup. Sensory parameters were recorded for both the experimental samples and controls. The sensory evaluation involved two panels represented by culinary experts and semi-experts. The study included a nine-point hedonic scale test and a paired comparison test. Consumer acceptability was checked by calculating significant differences between the standardized formulations and the control samples. Seviyan kheer made with agave syrup showed better acceptance rates in both expert and semi-expert panels (p > 0.05). Both panels preferred the formulations with agave syrup. The results were confirmed by a high-reliability score (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.925); no significant differences occurred between the controls and the experimental samples after consumer acceptability trials. Seviyan kheer demonstrated a higher acceptance rate while rawa sheera was only marginally accepted. The results revealed a good potential of agave syrup as a substitute for sugar in traditional Indian desserts and helped to understand customers preferences for healthier sweeteners. The research also highlighted the value of sensory assessment in determining customer acceptability and provided guidance for future initiatives to create healthier food substitutes. Further research is needed to test the commercial viability and nutritive properties of agave syrup for a wider range of traditional Indian sweets with different combinations of ingredients.