Physical Properties and Prebiotic Activities (Lactobacillus spp.) of Gelatine-Based Gels Formulated with Agave Fructans and Agave Syrups as Sucrose and Glucose Substitutes

Abstract

This research developed model foods of gelatine-based gels, where carbohydrates from Agave tequilana Weber var. Azul (agave syrups or/and agave fructans) were incorporated into gel formulations as healthy sucrose and glucose substitutes. The sugars (sucrose and glucose) were substituted by agave carbohydrates (agave syrups and agave fructans), obtaining the subsequent gel formulations: 100% agave syrup (F2 gel), 100% agave fructan (F3 gel), and 50% agave syrup–50% agave fructan (F4 gel). The unsubstituted gel formulation was used as a control (F1 gel). The prebiotic activities, physical properties, thermal stability (HP-TLC), and texture of gelatine-based gels were evaluated. The gel formulations showed translucent appearances with approximately 36 g/100 g of water and water activities values between 0.823 and 0.929. The HP-TLC analysis validated that agave fructans did not hydrolyse during the thermal process of gels production. Gels produced with agave syrup and agave fructan (F2-F4 gels) provided higher hardness, gumminess, and springiness values (p < 0.05) than those produced with glucose and sucrose (F1 gel). Gelatine-based gel formulations displayed prebiotic activities correlated to the ability of Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus paracasei, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus to use agave carbohydrates as carbon sources. Based on the prebiotic effect and physical and textural properties, the F2 and F4 gel formulations displayed the best techno-functional properties to produce gel soft candies.

Effect of Agavins and Agave Syrup Use in the Formulation of a Synbiotic Gelatin Gummy with Microcapsules of Saccharomyces Boulardii

“…Although there was high water activity at the midpoint of the treatments, an increase in agavins had a significant effect on cohesiveness, while elasticity was mainly affected by agave syrup. These functional ingredients altered and improved the textural properties of the gelatin gummies, in line with what other authors have reported [29,31], in which the ingredients form a more uniform network because due to the nature of the branched structure of the fructooligosaccharides and DP of the agavins, they form stronger internal bonds capable of supporting secondary deformations [40] despite having high Aw. The predicted values and observed values of TPA and Aw are shown in Table 1.…”

“…Therefore, it can be incorporated into new gelatin gummy formulations [29,30]. The use of agave syrup in combination with agavins or alone has shown a prebiotic effect in gels [31,32].…”

Preparation, Structural Characterisation, and Bioactivities of Fructans: A Review

“…TLC and PC are simple methods but have low sensitivity and accuracy in detecting monosaccharides. TLC can be used to separate carbohydrates using an organic mobile phase followed by staining; fructose and glucose can easily be distinguished as differently colored spots on the plate [ 55 ]. HPLC has been used extensively to identify constituent monosaccharides and determine their molar ratios.…”

Characterization of Sugar Reduction in Model Confectionary Gels Using Descriptive Analysis

“…In these studies, TPA was the main technique to characterize changes in texture based on different processing methods and gelling agent sources, specifically in gelatin. While there are studies which instrumentally characterize the changes in gel systems when sugar reduction occurs [ 16 , 17 , 18 ], they usually lack a sensory component, and because the correlation between instrumental and sensory data is dependent on the matrix, more research is required to characterize sugar reduction in individual food products, such as gels.…”