Development of sweet preparations with dietary fiber and low energy density Carolina Tavares, Ana Paula Geraldo, Jamile Ramos and Maria Elisabeth Pinto e Silva Department of Nutrition, Sa ˜ o Paulo University, Sa ˜ o Paulo, Brazil Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this study was to reduce the ED of sweet preparations through calorie reduction by replacing sucrose, reducing fat, and increasing the amount of dietary fiber. Design/methodology/approach – Sweet preparations were chosen to reduce ED and increase dietary fiber. Sucrose was replaced by two types of sweeteners, white flour was partially replaced by whole grain flour and fat was reduced. Preparations that had the desired characteristics underwent sensorial analysis to assess their acceptability, and rated by the affective test with hedonic scale. Preparations rated with 50 percent of grades greater than or equal to 7 were considered accepted. Analysis and calculations were performed using FIZZ software. The percentage change in ED was calculated as the difference between the ED of those ingredients replaced and/or reduced. Findings – The preparations butter cookies, lemon pie topped with whipped cream and carrot cake with chocolate frosting were accepted by most of the tasters. It proved possible to reduce ED by approximately 4.0 kcal per gram and to increase the amount of total dietary fiber from 1.8 g/100 g to 3.6 g/100 g, without affecting acceptance. Originality/value – It is an unpublished article that deals with reducing the ED and increasing the dietary fiber of sweet preparations, pointing out their difficulties and differences between different preparations created aiming at the prevention of chronic diseases. Keywords Energy, Fats, Food products, Health promotion, Brazil Paper type Research paper 1. Introduction Overweight and obesity essentially reflect an imbalance between calorie intake and utilization by the human body, and the explanation for the increased frequency of these conditions can be attributed to changes in eating patterns and physical activity of the population (Drewnowski and Darmon, 2005). Energy density (ED) is related to the promotion of healthy eating, considering its role in regulating food intake (Drewnowski, 1998), and appears to directly affect energy consumption (Bell et al., 1998; Rolls et al., 1999). Eating foods with high ED increases the risk of over consumption and weight gain (Crowe et al., 2004). ED of food is based on the amount of energy (kcal or kJ) supplied by weight (g) (Ledikwe et al., 2005) and can be lowered in preparations by reducing the amount of sugar and/or fat (Chaves and Sproesser, 1993). Sweeteners are natural or artificial sugar substitutes that provide sweetness yet with fewer calories per gram. They are composed of sweetening substances together with agents which confer durability, attractive appearance and texture to the finished product. These substances are considered highly effective due to their ability to sweeten at low concentrations (Torloni et al., 2007) without adding significantly calories or glucose The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/0034-6659.htm Nutrition & Food Science Vol. 43 No. 3, 2013 pp. 196-203 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0034-6659 DOI 10.1108/00346651311327837 NFS 43,3 196