Impact of replacing sugar with Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni leaves on the physical-chemical and sensory characteristics of gluten-free and lactose-free cake

This study evaluated the influence of replacing sugar with Stevia rebaudiana leaves on gluten- and lactose-free cakes' sensory and physicochemical characteristics. The cakes underwent microbiological analysis, texture profile, specific volume, acceptance test and purchase intention, as well as the rate-all-that-apply (RATA) descriptive test. With the results of the acceptance test and texture profile, the desirability function was applied in order to obtain an optimised formulation (FO) with lower values for hardness and chewiness and higher values for overall acceptance. As the stevia content in the cakes increased, the acceptability of these attributes decreased, and the same occurred with purchase intention. In the texture profile, only hardness, chewiness, gumminess and specific volume showed significant differences, influenced by the sugar content, since this component adds positively to the dough and texture of the cakes. Applying the desirability function, the optimised formulation presented a composition of 65% (1.95 g) of stevia and 35% (35 g) of sugar, and new analyses were performed, with a global acceptance of 7.20, for example. It was concluded that it was possible to make gluten-free and lactose-free cakes by applying stevia leaves. However, this addition should be done moderately since it is inversely proportional to the acceptability of the attributes.