Mohammad Mehdi Neamatshahi, Amir Hossein Elhami Rad, Asma Entezari, Nafise Neamatshahi, Ahmad Pedram Nia, Hossein Estiri and Abbas Mahjoorian4
Sweeteners are one of the most important ingredients of confectionery products including chewing gums. Synthetic sweeteners have harmful effects on the human body and/or may cause problems with respect to the texture of chewing gums. Therefore, in this research we have studied the possibilty of using the herbal sweetener Taranjebin (at the rates of zero, four, or five grams) in the production of chewing gums (chewing gum weight=25grams). We have conducted qualitative and sensory tests on the chewing gums, including the determination of their moisture, ash, total gum, sticking on the teeth, the sweetening power and its stability, the softness, and the desirability of the flavor of the sweeteners.The Complete Randomized Block Design was used for the statistical analysis of the results, and Duncan’s Multiple Range Test was employed for comparing the means. The results showed that the chewing gum containing three grams of Taranjebin had the highest quality and the chewing gum with five grams of Taranjebin had the lowest quality. Using Taranjebin as an herbal sweetener together with other sweeteners such as Sorbitol, Xylitol, etc., will reduce the quantities of the synthetic sweeteners used and, at the same time, can improve the characteristics of chewing gums.
