Effects of Sugar Substitution with High Fructose Corn Syrup on the Qualitative, Rheological and Sensorial Characteristics of Tomato Ketchup Sauce

Background and Objectives: Nutritional value, color, flavor and consistency are the major quality attributes of tomato ketchup, influencing the buying behavior of the consumers. In this study, the effects of sugar replacement with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) on the qualitative properties of ketchup sauce were investigated.  Materials & Methods: In the present study, sucrose was replaced with HFCS at various levels in ketchup formulation, and five formulations were developed as follows: 0-HFCS, 25-HFCS, 50-HFCS, 75-HFCS and 100-HFCS, representing the HFCS substitution of 0 (control), 25, 50, 75 and 100%. Then the formulations were analyzed for physicochemical, rheological and sensorial characteristics. Results: Water activity of the ketchup samples containing HFCS was significantly lower than the control. Regarding the lycopene content, the 100-HFCS and control sample presented the highest and lowest values, respectively. Lightness and redness values were increased while yellowness values were decreased significantly with a corresponding increase in the HFCS substitution. Serum separation was reduced from 10.96 to 1.66% by increasing the HFCS content from 0 to 100%. Applied ketchup formulations showed non-Newtonian and shear thinning flow with tendency to yield stress at all HFCS levels. The findings revealed the improvement of the organoleptic attributes of ketchup in terms of color, consistency, taste and overall acceptability as a result of sugar substitution of sugar with HFCS. Conclusion: Sugar replacement with HFCS up to 75% can improve the sensory and rheological characteristics of ketchup sauce in addition to increasing the stability of bioactive compounds.