EVALUATING Low-FAT, SUGAR-FREE CAKES DURING TASTE-TESTING - Brief Article

Nutrition Research Newsletter, April, 2001

Persons in the United States are experiencing increased incidences of obesity and heart disease associated with diets high in fat and total energy. As awareness of these diseases increases, more Americans are recognizing the importance of reducing their fat and total energy consumption. These health-conscious consumers are requesting more reduced-energy, low-sugar, sugar-free, low-fat and fat-free products. They also want to be able to eat these products that normally contain large amounts of fat and sugar, such as cakes, without the loss of quality. When formulating cakes with lower sugar and/or fat contents, alternative ingredients must replace the functionalities of sugar and fat. The objective is to develop a cake with sensory properties that closely mimic those of a full-fat and full-sugar cake. Currently, cakes with both lower fat and sugar contents are difficult to find in the marketplace. The objective of the present study was to determine the consumer acceptability of a low-fat, sugar-free cake in comparison to a regular cake. The study also evaluated if knowing that cakes were low-fat and sugar-free influenced consumer perception of the cakes.

The low-fat, sugar-free cakes used in the study contained a starch-based fat replacer, lactitol, and an acesulfame K/ aspartame blend. A regular cake containing sucrose and fat served as the control. Acceptability testing occurred at a local shopping center in Auburn, Ala, and on the Auburn University campus. A total of 162 subjects were recruited, with 20 to 30 subjects sampling cakes on a given day. Participants ranged from 18 years of age to more than 70 years of age, and consisted of males and females, both white and African-American. Participants were asked to evaluate two sets of cupcakes, each containing a low-fat, sugar-free cupcake and a regular cupcake. Participants did not know the fat and sugar content of the cakes. They rated the acceptability of each using a hedonic scale ranging from 1 to 9, with 9 representing a highly acceptable product. The participants also rated the cupcake using the FACT scale, which helps to determine how frequently the participant would consume the cupcake. The participants then evaluated a second set of cupcakes, which were the same as the first set; however, the identity of each cupcake was written on the paper so participants knew what they were sampling.

Overall, participants rated the acceptability of the low-fat, sugar-free cake significantly lower than the regular cake, both in the blind test and the informed test. However, when participants knew the identity of the cake, the acceptability of the low-fat, sugar-free cake significantly increased from that of the blind test. The results show that people like products more when they know the food does not contain a lot of fat. The study confirmed that knowledge about the composition of low-fat, sugar-free cakes increased consumer acceptability.

Significant differences were found for the regular cake between races; African-Americans rated the acceptability and FACT responses of the regular cupcakes significantly higher than whites for the blind evaluation. When informed of the cakes' identity, African-Americans gave a significantly higher FACT rating to the regular cake than the white participants did, but not a significantly higher acceptability rating. African-Americans have been found to consume a diet higher in fat than white persons, and higher dietary fat consumption has been related to lower preference for fat-free and low-fat foods. Knowledge of nutrition and health is affecting the way consumers perceive food products. Dietitians and dietetics professionals should continue to help educate consumers about healthful food options, including modified food products.

A. Campbell, L. Bell. Acceptability of low-fat, sugar-free cakes: Effect of providing compositional information during taste-testing. JADA 101(3):354-356 (March 2001) [Correspondence: Leonard N. Bell, PhD , Associate Professor, Dept of Nutrition and Food Science, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849].