Taste And Flavor Modulation With Organic Acids In Sugar Confectionery

The Main component of classic sugar confectionery products, like hard boiled or gummy candies of course, is sucrose.

- Katharina Pletsch And Frithjof Raab

Introduction

The Main component of classic sugar confectionery products, like hard boiled or gummy candies of course, is sucrose. However, as candies are increasingly a target for sugar reduction exercises, polyols, such as isomalt, would then be the main ingredient. Flavor is then added to give the candy the desired taste. But in order to create a well-balanced, delicious product, one more ingredient is essential. For a rounded, optimized taste profile an organic acid is needed to counteract the sweetness. Traditionally citric acid has been the acidulant of choice in the sugar confectionery industry. But acids do not simply provide sourness. Depending on the type of acid and its individual taste characteristics, it will influence the whole taste profile of the final product. The interaction of flavor, sweetener and acid defines the flavor profile.

Acid/sweetness balance for a harmonious taste impression

Human beings are able to perceive five basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. In confectionery, sweet and sour play the most important role. Initially, confectionery products should impart sweetness. However, for a rounded taste impression an acidic component is needed, and it is crucial to achieve a good balance between these two basic ingredients. Citric acid is often used for acidification in sugarbased products. The combination works well, because the time-intensity curves for the two components are almost identical, i.e. the sweet and sour tastes reach their maximum almost simultaneously. Replacing sugar with high intensity sweeteners (HIS) usually results in a typically sweet aftertaste and off-note detection which outlasts the sourness of citric acid. Therefore a combination of citric acid and malic acid is often used to cover the persisting sweetness of HIS.