Effect of Processing and Storage of Very-Low-Sugar Apple Jams Prepared with Sugar Substitution by Steviol Glycosides on Chosen Physicochemical Attributes and Sensory and Microbiological Quality

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

I have revised the manuscript entitled “EFFECT OF PROCESSING AND STORAGE OF VERY LOW- SUGAR APPLE JAMS PREPARED WITH SUGAR SUBSTITU TION BY STEVIOL GLYCOSIDES ON CHOSEN PHYSICO CHEMICAL ATTRIBUTES, SENSORY AND MICROBIOLO-5 GICAL QUALITY.”

 The manuscript is interesting but contains too much information in each of the tables shown. I suggest to review the information in the tables and, where possible, show the evolution of the changes in graphs. For example the table 5 too much information. I suggest major revision.

Introduction: Is well explained.

 Methodology: In general,  is very descriptive and understandable. modern methods of high quality and reliability. They refer international standards that are good.

 Results: The results are very descriptive and complex, are well explained contain detailed information but the table 5 contains too much information, and maybe could be changed for more illustrative results for example radar charts.

 Despite table 6 contains good information, you could consider represent the changes in a graph, in the table is not clear if the changes are significantly different.

Table 8 mentions the criteria that were used for the results of the bacterial counts. Check if the criteria are correct with respect to S. aureus and L. monocytogenes, since very high counts are mentioned, and I believe that in that case it should be reported as absence in 25 g of sample, unless the standard used mentions the criteria that you report.

 Discussion: are very long and complex, but are well explained, are justify according to the results presented.

 Conclusions: Are very good.

 References: very good.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

Thank you for your diligent work on our manuscript entitled: “Effect of Processing and Storage of Very Low-Sugar Apple Jams Prepared with Sugar Substitution by Steviol Glycosides on Chosen Physicochemical Attributes, and Sensory and Microbiological Quality.” Your comments have significantly improved our paper and provided valuable suggestions for future research. Please find our responses to your comments below.

Comments Overall:

 The manuscript is interesting but contains too much information in each of the tables shown. I suggest to review the information in the tables and, where possible, show the evolution of the changes in graphs. For example the table 5 too much information. I suggest major revision.

Response:

Thank you for your suggestion. We have changed Table 4 and Table 5 to Figures.

 

Comments 1:

Introduction: Is well explained.

 Methodology: In general,  is very descriptive and understandable. modern methods of high quality and reliability. They refer international standards that are good.

Response:

Thank you for appreciating our work.

Comments 2:

Results: The results are very descriptive and complex, are well explained contain detailed information but the table 5 contains too much information, and maybe could be changed for more illustrative results for example radar charts.

Response:

Thank you for your suggestion. We have changed Table 5 to Figure 4 (radar charts). We hope that apple jams' sensory quality changes are now more visible.

 

Comments 3:

 Despite table 6 contains good information, you could consider represent the changes in a graph, in the table is not clear if the changes are significantly different.

Response:

Thank you for your comment, but presenting this data in a graph isn't easy. Therefore, we decided to leave it in table form and add an explanation of what the change means.

 

We have added the following text to 2.4. Instrumental color measurements and selected values below Table 4 (earlier 6):

Color difference can be interpreted as follows:

0 < ΔE < 1 – the difference in color is visually nonrecognizable by a standard observer;

1 < ΔE < 2 – the difference is visually recognizable only by an experienced observer;

2 < ΔE < 3.5 – the difference can be visually recognized by an inexperienced observer;

3.5 < ΔE < 5 – every observer can easily see the difference, and

ΔE > 5 – an observer recognizes two different colors [Mokrzycki & Tatol, 2011].

 

Mokrzycki W.; Tatol M. Colour diference Delta E - A survey. Machine Graphics and Vision 2011, 20, 4, 383–411.

Comments 4:

Table 8 mentions the criteria that were used for the results of the bacterial counts. Check if the criteria are correct with respect to S. aureus and L. monocytogenes, since very high counts are mentioned, and I believe that in that case it should be reported as absence in 25 g of sample, unless the standard used mentions the criteria that you report.

Response:

Thank you for your suggestion. We corrected this.

Comments 5:

Discussion: are very long and complex, but are well explained, are justify according to the results presented.

Conclusions: Are very good.

References: very good.

Response:

Thank you for appreciating our work.

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

 

GENERAL COMMENTS

Dear authors,

Congratulations on your manuscript.

Although other authors have carried out work with similar objectives. This work is current and relevant to increasing scientific innovation and technological knowledge in jams and similar products. In addition to contributing to knowledge and diversity in sugar substitution, it also contributes to the health and well-being of consumers.

Kind regards,

Reviewer

SPECIFIC COMMENTS

Line 103 - Write steviol glycosides (SGs) at a-100%, and SGs additive...

Table 4 - C.u equal to 7.1 appears with the letters a when the substitution was 10% and with the letter b when the substitution was 40%. Check that this is correct in the statistical analysis.

Has the SD not been determined?

Lines 281 and 282 - The authors report that jams with a higher addition of SGs had a lower sweetness rating. However, the average values obtained when SGs were 80 % higher than when they were replaced by 30 and 50 %?

 

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

Thank you for your diligent work on our manuscript entitled: “Effect of Processing and Storage of Very Low-Sugar Apple Jams Prepared with Sugar Substitution by Steviol Glycosides on Chosen Physicochemical Attributes, and Sensory and Microbiological Quality.” Your comments have significantly improved our paper and provided valuable suggestions for future research. Please find our responses to your comments below.

Comments Overall:

Dear authors, Congratulations on your manuscript.

Although other authors have carried out work with similar objectives. This work is current and relevant to increasing scientific innovation and technological knowledge in jams and similar products. In addition to contributing to knowledge and diversity in sugar substitution, it also contributes to the health and well-being of consumers.

Response:

Thank you for appreciating our work.

 Comments 1:

Line 103 - Write steviol glycosides (SGs) at a-100%, and SGs additive...

Response:

Thank you for your comments; we changed it.

Comments 2:

Table 4 - C.u. equal to 7.1 appears with the letters a when the substitution was 10% and with the letter b when the substitution was 40%. Check that this is correct in the statistical analysis.

Has the SD not been determined?

Response:

Thank you for your suggestion. It was our mistake, but now we have corrected it. We added SD and presented our data in Figure 3 instead of Table 4.

Comments 3:

Lines 281 and 282 - The authors report that jams with a higher addition of SGs had a lower sweetness rating. However, the average values obtained when SGs were 80 % higher than when they were replaced by 30 and 50%?

Response:

Yes, you are right, but the other sensory attributes of jams were lower than those of 30% and 50% levels of SG substitution. Therefore, we are rewriting this sentence to be more precise as follows:

Jams with increased SGs addition were rated slightly lower regarding sweet taste (except the 80% level), apple flavor, color, and consistency than jams with sugar only.

Authors

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The introduction section can be improved by ensuring a logical progression of ideas, linking the discussion on consumer trends, the functionality of steviol glycosides, and their application in low-sugar products more coherently. This could involve structuring the information to transition smoothly between topics, improving readability and comprehension.

Please add the study's limitations of the study e.g. One of the main limitations is the use of steviol glycosides with exceptionally high purity, which is not commonly achievable in industrial practices due to the high costs associated with such preparations. This high purity (potentially containing a higher proportion of rebaudioside A or stevioside) could reduce the bitter aftertaste, thereby artificially improving the sensory quality of the jams. In typical industrial scenarios, where steviol glycosides of lower purity might be used, the sensory quality of the product might not be as favorable. Therefore, the results of this study might not be fully representative of real-world applications.

The study indicates variability in the physicochemical parameters such as total acidity and pH during storage, depending on the level of steviol glycoside substitution and storage duration. For instance, the total acidity of the very low-sugar apple jams decreased significantly only in the variant with sugar content, suggesting that the substitution with steviol glycosides did not consistently stabilize this parameter. This inconsistency could impact the overall quality and shelf life of the product, as acidity is a critical factor in preventing microbial growth and ensuring product safety during storage.

Although the study demonstrated that steviol glycosides could produce a satisfactory low-sugar apple jam, the results indicate a need for further investigation. Specifically, more research is required using steviol glycosides of the quality commonly used in industrial production. This would help in developing a market-ready product that balances sensory quality, technological performance, and consumer acceptability while aligning with industry standards and practices.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

Thank you for your diligent work on our manuscript entitled: “Effect of Processing and Storage of Very Low-Sugar Apple Jams Prepared with Sugar Substitution by Steviol Glycosides on Chosen Physicochemical Attributes, and Sensory and Microbiological Quality.” Your comments have significantly improved our paper and provided valuable suggestions for future research. Please find our responses to your comments below.

Comments Overall:

The introduction section can be improved by ensuring a logical progression of ideas, linking the discussion on consumer trends, the functionality of steviol glycosides, and their application in low-sugar products more coherently. This could involve structuring the information to transition smoothly between topics, improving readability and comprehension.

Response:

Thank you for your suggestion. To organize the content, we changed the order of paragraphs. We hope that now it is more logical.

Comments 1:

Please add the study's limitations of the study e.g. One of the main limitations is the use of steviol glycosides with exceptionally high purity, which is not commonly achievable in industrial practices due to the high costs associated with such preparations. This high purity (potentially containing a higher proportion of rebaudioside A or stevioside) could reduce the bitter aftertaste, thereby artificially improving the sensory quality of the jams. In typical industrial scenarios, where steviol glycosides of lower purity might be used, the sensory quality of the product might not be as favorable. Therefore, the results of this study might not be fully representative of real-world applications.

Response:

Thank you for your suggestion. We corrected the Limitation section.

 Comments 2:

The study indicates variability in the physicochemical parameters such as total acidity and pH during storage, depending on the level of steviol glycoside substitution and storage duration. For instance, the total acidity of the very low-sugar apple jams decreased significantly only in the variant with sugar content, suggesting that the substitution with steviol glycosides did not consistently stabilize this parameter. This inconsistency could impact the overall quality and shelf life of the product, as acidity is a critical factor in preventing microbial growth and ensuring product safety during storage.

Response:

Thank you for your suggestion. We added the following sentences:

The total acidity of the very low-sugar apple jams decreased significantly only in the variant with sugar content, suggesting that the substitution with steviol glycosides did not consistently stabilize this parameter. This could impact the product's overall quality and shelf life, as acidity is critical in preventing microbial growth and ensuring product safety during storage.

Comments 3:

Although the study demonstrated that steviol glycosides could produce a satisfactory low-sugar apple jam, the results indicate a need for further investigation. Specifically, more research is required using steviol glycosides of the quality commonly used in industrial production. This would help in developing a market-ready product that balances sensory quality, technological performance, and consumer acceptability while aligning with industry standards and practices.

Response:

Thank you for your suggestion. We added the following sentence to the Conclusion section:

This would help develop a market-ready product that balances sensory quality, technological performance, and consumer acceptability while aligning with industry standards and practices.

Authors

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Comments are in the attachment 

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

Thank you for your diligent work on our manuscript entitled: “Effect of Processing and Storage of Very Low-Sugar Apple Jams Prepared with Sugar Substitution by Steviol Glycosides on Chosen Physicochemical Attributes, and Sensory and Microbiological Quality.” Your comments have significantly improved our paper and provided valuable suggestions for future research. Please find our responses to your comments below.

Comments 1:

Change the sentence in lines 21-23 to: The use of a natural sweetener, steviol glycosides, in the production of apple jam was shown to be satisfactory.

Response:

Thank you for your comment. We have changed this sentence.

Comments 2:

Line 108 - a space is required after the word pulp.

Response:

Thank you for your comment. We have changed it.

Comments 3:

Table 1 - define the abbreviation VL.

Response:

Thank you for your comment. We have added it. In the text is also information about it:

Products with reduced sugar content compared to the sugar variant were marked with the abbreviation VL.

Comments 4:

There should be space between lines 386 and 387, and 417 and 418,

Response:

Thank you for your comments.

 Comments 5:

Line 473 – 100 g-1 should be in superscript.

Response:

Thank you for your comment.

Authors

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The authors followed the recommendations. It is a good article.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

Thank you once again for your valuable comments and appreciation of our proofreading. Thank you for your time.

Authors