ORIGINAL RESEARCH Optimisation of sweetener blends for the preparation of lassi VISHWAS GEORGE, SUMITARORA,* BALBIR KAUR WADHWA, ASHISH KUMAR SINGH andGHANSHYAM S SHARMA Dairy Chemistry Division, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal 132 001, Haryana, India *Author for correspondence. E-mail: sumitak123@yahoo.com Ó 2010 Society of Dairy Technology Sucrose was successfully replaced with sweetener blends for the preparation of lassi. Optimisation of the levels of sweeteners added individually or in blends, viz. binary, tertiary and quaternary and finally selec- tion of the best blend among them was based on organoleptic assessment. Binary blend aspartame · acesulfame-k scored the highest when compared with the best optimised single sweetener aspartame, ter- tiary and quaternary blend in lassi and had nonsignificant differences with control in all sensory attri- butes. It showed maximum synergy in sweetness intensity in comparison to tertiary and quaternary blends. Use of binary blend resulted in 38% reduction of usage level when compared with single sweet- ener aspartame. Keywords Lassi, Sweetener blends, Synergy, Sensory analysis. INTRODUCTION The synergistic combination of sweeteners, known as multiple sweetener approach, has been found to increase low-calorie product choices for the consumer, reduce costs and improve product taste and stability (Nabors 2001; Bakal 2004). Several product categories in the world have also been suc- cessful using sweetener blends in dry mix desserts and beverages, dairy and dairy-based products (ice cream, cream, cheese, chocolate preparations and whey-based fruit beverages), chewing gums and confectionaries. In a recent change to Indian food legislation (PFA 2004), the use of four sweeteners aspartame, acesulfame-k, saccharin and sucralose has been allowed singly and in combinations within prescribed limits in sweets like halwa, khoya, burfi, rasogolla, gulabjamun and other milk products. Approval of new sweeteners, combined with the key role played by sweetener blends in the production of foods and beverages, has led us to analyse the multiple sweeteners (aspartame, acesul- fame-K, saccharin and sucralose) in an indigenous dairy product viz. lassi. Lassi is a ready-to-serve, fermented dairy product obtained after the growth of selected culture, usually lactic streptococci, in heat-treated milk followed by sweetening with sugar. It has a creamy consistency, sweetish-rich aroma and mild to acidic flavour, which makes the product refreshingly palatable. It is consumed as a cold, refreshing therapeutic beverage usually in summer. Sweetened lassi is prepared by breaking up the coagulum into fine particles by agitation, addition of required amount of sugar, water and flavour. The present work has been undertaken to optimise the levels of sweetener blends for the preparation of artificially sweetened indigenous dairy product viz, lassi. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sweeteners Aspartame (purity more than 99%, R&D grade) from NutraSweet Sweetener Company, 1762, Lovers Lane, Augusta, GA, USA. Acesulfame-k (purity more than 99%, HPLC grade) and Saccharin (purity more than 99%, R&D grade) from Sigma-Aldrich, Lovfs, MO, USA. Sucra- lose (purity more than 98%, HPLC grade) from Tate and Lyle Sucralose, Inc., Decatur, IL, USA. Preparation of lassi Control lassi with sucrose and artificially sweet- ened lassi samples were prepared (Figure 1) essen- tially by the method of Bhattacharya et al. (1972). Buffalo milk samples were collected from Experi- mental Dairy, NDRI, Karnal, India. Sugar was procured from local market, Karnal. A mixed culture (NCDC-167) containing Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis ssp. diacetylactis, Lactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris along with Leuco- nostoc spp. was obtained from National Collection of Dairy Cultures (NCDC), Microbiology Divi- sion, NDRI, Karnal. Level optimisation of sweetener ⁄ sweetener blends in lassi Lassi was evaluated during storage using 50 point composite score card for sweetness, aroma, 256 Vol 63, No 2 May 2010 International Journal of Dairy Technology doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0307.2010.00574.x