THE EFFECTS OF SUGAR AND FAT SUBSTITUTION ON THE TEXTURAL PROPERTIES OF THE PIE DOUGH

Abstract

Understanding the current technologies related to the food industry, which deal with the reduction of sugar in processed foods, research made on the subject and the consumers response to the reduction of sugar in food, has become a very important pillar for food producers in the mission, to design and produce low sugar products. Due to the multiple functions that sugar has in food, reducing it is a difficult task in itself, but progress is still being made in order to make the products acceptable to future consumers. In this quest, the process of identifying ways to incorporate apple puree as a healthy food ingredient in a diet is a must because it could offer many advantages for a healthy diet, mainly due to the reduction of sugar and respectively the fat, beneficial for both categories:   adults and especially children, whose health may be affected by added sugar from pastries, for instance. In addition, apple puree brings an increased nutritional value to bakery and pastry products, through its composition which has a rich content of nutrients. Apple puree could be considered an alternative source of dietary fiber needed for muscle strengthening and permanent burns in the body activity, which can be included in the daily diet as a special food ingredient used in pastries. Therefore, the potential exploitation of apple puree in the industry as a healthy food ingredient, due to its benefits, is higher ranked, with a high degree of interest, being more and more common in the bakery industry and selected functional foods, which allows it to have a promising future in this industry.