Abstract
Hard meringue samples with four levels of added of sugar contents (50%, 100%, 150% and 200%) were prepared from three types of sugar alcohols (xylitol, sorbitol and lactitol) and from sucrose. We investigated the properties of the baking and hardening process in respect of physiological tests of the meringue before and after baking, change of firmness during storage, differential scanning calorimetry for hard meringue, and change under high humidity.
The lactitol meringue with high sugar content showed the highest compression stress before baking. However, the hard lactitol meringue was softened most easily by absorbing moisture from the surroundings.
The baked sorbitol meringue hardened slowly to finally produce a very firm texture. DSC measurement showed that a different type of crystal from that in the original sorbitol was formed in the hard sorbitol meringue.
The hard xylitol meringue had moderate firmness and, like the sucrose meringue, was little influence by storage under high humidity. Xylitol was consequently judged the most suitable sugar for hard meringue after sucrose.
