title: Sweetness concentration-response behavior of rebiana at room and refrigerator temperatures.
abstract: Rebiana is a zero-calorie, natural, high-potency sweetener derived from Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni and comprising almost pure rebaudioside A. Reliable information on its sweetness concentration-response (C-R) behavior is fundamental to rebiana's use as an ingredient. The response curve of rebiana in room-temperature (21 °C) and refrigerated (5 °C) water was determined using 2-alternative forced choice discrimination tests with a minimum of 70 tasters. From a series of panels the proportion of tasters finding different sucrose concentrations sweeter than a fixed concentration of rebiana was plotted against sucrose concentration. The resultant sigmoid curves were linearized by transforming the ordinate axis to a probability scale. This aided experimental design and determination of isosweet concentrations. The latter were deemed to be the sucrose concentration at which 50% of tasters found it to be the sweeter of the pair. Isosweet concentrations of sucrose for seven rebiana concentrations up to 600 mg/L were used to construct a C-R curve for each temperature. Equations were derived for the resultant hyperbolic curves. Rebiana is significantly more potent in cold water.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Rebiana is a new, zero-calorie, natural, high-potency sweetener derived from the Stevia plant. We have measured the sweetness of rebiana over a range of concentrations at room and refrigerator temperatures. This information will help developers of low-calorie products get the right sweetness level when replacing sugar with rebiana.
authors.affiliation: Connect Consulting, 6 Hollands Field, Horsham, RH12 3HQ, UK. j.fry@connectco.biz
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Fry
authors.forename: Nese
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yurttas
authors.forename: Kari L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Biermann
mesh_terms: D003258:Consumer Behavior; D045786:Diterpenes, Kaurane / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000032:analysis*; D036625:Stevia / Q000737:chemistry*; D013395:Sucrose / Q000032:analysis; D013549:Sweetening Agents / Q000032:analysis*; D013649:Taste; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D045786:Diterpenes, Kaurane; D010936:Plant Extracts; D013549:Sweetening Agents; D013395:Sucrose; C025474:rebaudioside A