The effect of stevia powder on the quality of gluten-free cookies

The paper presents the results of studies of the effect of stevia powder on the quality of gluten-free cookies with a complete replacement of sugar in the recipe. The cookies were made from a mixture of rice and corn flour (40/60). Margarine or vegetable oil were used as fat components. Stevia powder was used in different amounts: 1.0; 2.0; 3.0%. Cookies quality were assessed by organoleptic indicators, physical characteristics (diameter, thickness), moisture, swelling, strength on the structure analyzer "Structurometer ST-2". When completely replacing sugar with stevia powder in various amounts, margarine cookies were comparable in size to sugar cookies, while increasing moisture, but reducing swelling and strength values. Replacing the fat component with vegetable oil resulted in the formation of a flatter, more brittle cookie, with pronounced brittleness, which was reflected in its strength, both in cookies with sugar and with stevia. The use of guar or xanthan gum in the formulation of gluten-free cookies with stevia and vegetable oil made it possible to obtain softer cookies, increased their thickness, as well as moisture and swelling, stabilized the strength, which became comparable before the addition of stevia powder. An increase in the amount of gum over 1% led to large changes in cookie quality indicators, and depended on the type of gum, which was more pronounced when using xanthan gum. The main criterion for the quality of gluten-free cookies with stevia powder in the amount of 1.0% was the minimum specific sweetness