Effect of Inulin and Stevia on Some Physical Properties of Chocolate Milk

Background: The aim of this study was to assess physical properties of dietetic chocolate milkproduced by stevia as a sugar replacer and inulin. Along with having prebiotic effect, inulin canalso participate in enhancing textural properties of beverages. Therefore, this novel food will beuseful for all people especially for diabetics.Methods: This study was carried out in Quality Control Laboratory of Food Science and TechnologyDepartment, Health and Nutrition Faculty, Tabriz University of Medical Science, during2011-2012. The assay was performed on nine treatments with three replications. Sugar was substitutedwith stevia in two proportions of sucrose to stevia; 50:50 and 0:100. Inulin, in four levelsof 0%, 2%, 4% and 6%, was added to the treatments of 50% and 100% stevia. The control samplecontained no stevia and no inulin, such as commercial ones. Precipitation amount and viscositywere measured 24 hours after production. Data analyzed by one-way ANOVA, at the significantlevel of 0.05, using SPSS software ver. 17.Results: Sugar replacement with stevia caused significant increase in precipitation and significantdecrease in viscosity (P<0.05), whereas using inulin in formulation significantly decreased precipitationand increased viscosity (P<0.05). The sample containing 100% stevia and 6% inulin revealeda viscosity with a non-significant difference with the control (P>0.05). The sample containing50% stevia and 6% inulin had the lowest precipitation while having a non-significantlydifference with the control.Conclusion: A thickener agent, such as inulin, should be used in the chocolate milk sweetenedby stevia to improve physical properties of the product.