Physicochemical properties of blueberry syrup prepared with fructooligosaccharide

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to prepare blueberry syrup (cheung) using fructooligosaccharide instead of the traditionally used sucrose. The sugar content, pH, and colorimetric values were measured to evaluate the quality of the prepared syrup, and the antioxidant activity and phenolic compound content were determined to assess the physiological activity of the syrup. The L * value (lightness), pH, and color were high in syrups containing a high proportion of fructooligosaccharide. The a * value (redness) was high in syrups subjected to heat treatment, and the b * value (yellowness) tended to be the opposite of the L * value. Moreover, syrups containing heat-treated fructooligosaccharide showed higher polyphenol, flavonoid, and anthocyanin contents than the unheated syrups did. The antioxidant activity of the blueberry cheung depended on the content of phenolic compounds. The highest value was obtained in the cheung prepared using a heat-treated 1:1 mixture of blended raw blueberry and fructooligosaccharide (S2). These findings suggest that our familiarity with the taste of the sweetener used influences our taste preference. It is therefore necessary to study other newly developed sweeteners apart from fructooligosaccharide to find a suitable alternative to sucrose.