Reduced fat and sugar cakes developed by protein/polysaccharide/licorice extract ternary gel-like foams

Reduced sugar and fat products are increasingly in demand due to the link between excessive consumption of these substances and chronic noncommunicable diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to produce a low-calorie cake by replacing sugar and fat with whey protein isolate/sodium alginate/licorice extract ternary foam at three substitution levels of 0 %, 25 %, and 50 %. As the amount of foam used as a replacement increased, there were marked decreases in batter viscosity (5.29–2.64 Pa.s) and density (1.13–0.88 g cm−3), as well as in the cake's fat (8.91–4.73 g/100 g), carbohydrate (67.92–47.09 g/100 g), specific volume (3.13–1.76 mL g−1), calories (371.37–252.57 kcal/100 g), and porosity (10.25–5.05 %). On the other hand, moisture and water activity increased significantly (p < 0.05) with the increase of foam replacement. In terms of crust color, a* decreased while L* and b* increased remarkably. The cake samples with 0 % and 50 % substitution levels had the lowest and highest values for hardness (0.76 vs. 2.38 N), cohesiveness, and chewiness, respectively. The sensory evaluation results showed that the sample with a 25 % substitution level was more similar to the control sample. This suggests that foam can be used as a substitute for sugar and fat to produce a healthier product.