Estudio del uso y efecto de la stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) como edulcorante natural en la elaboración de mermelada.

Abstract

The objective of this bibliographic research was to investigate the use and effect of stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) as a natural sweetener in the production of jam. It was carried out through a bibliographic review supported by scientific articles and theses located in search engines such as Google Scholar and repositories of Ecuadorian and foreign universities and data bases Scielo, Research Gate, Dialnet, Springer and Redalyc. The average results obtained for the physicochemical characteristics of the stevia-sweetened jam were soluble solids (23.03 ± 7.60 °Brix), pH (3.64 ± 0.12), titratable acidity (1.14 ± 0.91 %) and water activity (0.91 ± 0.04). The organoleptic characteristics analyzed were flavor, odor, color, texture and overall acceptability, where the use of concentrations between 0.60 and 7.50 % of stevia as sweetener in the preparation of jam has a good acceptance by the consumer. In addition, it allows maintaining the flavor, odor and color of the fruit used, however, the texture is soft and spreadable depending on the type of gelling agent used in its preparation. The caloric value of the jam sweetened with stevia presented the lowest value with an average of 24.78 ± 7.09 kcal/100 g in comparison to the jam sweetened with sucrose that presented an average of 245.79 ± 13.00 kcal/100 g. It is concluded that the use of stevia in the elaboration of jam allowed obtaining a lower caloric content that can be considered as a low-calorie product, so it is recommended its use as a natural sweetener in the elaboration of jam since it allows maintaining the organoleptic characteristics such as flavor, smell and color of the fruit used and it does not contribute calories and soluble solids.