Physical properties and sensory analysis of galacto-oligosaccharide glassy confections

Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) are non-digestible food ingredients that have been shown to increase populations of health-promoting species of gut bacteria. GOS syrup forms an amorphous glass without any additives, which may be useful to develop hard candies for human clinical trials to test the prebiotic's effectiveness. Additionally, at its GRAS level of 25 g/100 g solids, GOS may replace corn syrup (CS) as a crystallization inhibitor in traditional sucrose-CS glassy confections. This replacement may have a direct industry application in reduced-sugar hard candies with additional health benefits. The objective of this study was to determine the stability of GOS glassy confections comprised of 100 g GOS/100 g solids and 25 g GOS/100 g solids as a replacement for CS. Confections were stored in controlled humidity (43, 58, and 75%) for 24 h and analyzed for moisture content (MC), glass transition temperature (Tg), crystal size distribution, and texture. GOS confections showed less recrystallization but higher stickiness than the control when exposed to high relative humidity environments. Sensory analysis showed that differences between 25 g GOS/100 g solids and control confection (25 g CS/100 g solids) were not detectable. Therefore, it may be possible to manufacture confections with 25 g GOS/100 g solids as a prebiotic replacer for CS by maintaining the storage, distribution, and packaging environments at a low relative humidity.