Impact of Dietary Fiber on Soft Drinks with Varied Sweeteners

Abstract

In the present work, the characteristics of the effect of dietary fiber in two types of soft drinks were compared, considering beverages with low and high sucrose content, using a 22 experiment design for the independent variables amount of dietary fiber and sucrose content. The dependent variable was the percentage of soluble solids, and experimental runs were carried out to establish the stability of the product during the process. The design mentioned above determined significant differences in physicochemical parameters, such as increased fiber percentage and sucrose amount in final brix degrees. Samples of the Beverage were taken during processing and evaluated over time to establish the behavior of soluble solids, density, and the amount of fiber during the pasteurization process, which was determined at 85ºC for 120 seconds. The behavior of the unpasteurized soft drink was also studied at refrigeration temperature for one day in samples with sucrose and partially substituted with sucralose, enriched with dietary fiber and without its addition, to evaluate and analyze if the thermal effect determines a significant difference in the quality of the finished product. The laboratory analyses were based on a quantitative, enzymatic-gravimetric analysis of dietary fiber and soluble solids. The best option was chosen considering the best variety of soft drinks with low sucrose content and enriched with dietary fiber, increasing the beverage's nutritional value. This selection was implemented in a soft drink factory, and the procedure was standardized at the industrial level. The development of this research contributed to technological improvements reflected in the product's final price, minimizing costs and highlighting that with a minimum investment, it is competitive. The results of the tests performed on the carbonated beverage to determine the response variables were statistically analyzed using STATGRAPHICS software. The triplicate results of each trial were initially evaluated for significant differences attributable to the treatments, and the validity of the data was verified by analysis of their distributions, considering a relative error of less than 10%. Finally, current computer programs automatically calculate the p-value, and for the interpretation of the various results, this calculated value is compared with a pre-established confidence level, which generally is 95%. Keywords: increased fiber; soluble solids; sucralose; sucrose.