Dehydrated apple matrix supplemented with agave fructans, inulin, and oligofructose

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of supplemented prebiotics: inulin (I), oligofructose (0), agave fructans (A) and their mixtures in three levels, 20, 40 and 60 g prebiotics/kg puree on the physicochemical and sensorial properties of a dehydrated apple matrix (DAM), fruit leather type. A simplex-centroid design was used to formulate the different mixtures. After that, fructans were identified in the matrices using thin-layer chromatography and high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection and enzymatic kits. A descriptive quantitative method was used to determine sensory profile of the matrices. The sensory acceptability was measured by a 7-point hedonic scale. Matrices supplemented with solely A and 0, were significantly smoother and more qualified in acceptability compared to the control. The behavior of DAM with inulin was different; it increased hardness and decreased acceptability. In general, mixtures of prebiotics had a synergistic effect on matrices hardness. The optimum formulation corresponded to the DAM supplemented with agave fructans, indicating that it is possible to obtain a fruit leather type product with prebiotic potential. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.