Oxidative stability and colour changes of fat- and sugar-reduced wafer creams during the storage

Consumers are becoming increasingly focused on the quality and nutritional value of their food, particularly in their efforts to combat obesity by reducing sugar and fat content in food products. Newly developed products must therefore undergo thorough evaluation, including storage tests, to confirm their commercial shelf life. The purpose of this research was to examine the effect of reformulation, and specifically, the reduction of fat and sugar content and the addition of 0.1 % natural fruit extract on the quality of wafer creams in a real-time experiment over 13 months of storage. The resulting oxidation induction time (OIT) values showed that reformulation involving fat reduction and fruit extract addition significantly improved the stability of the cream until the final month of storage. This was attributed to the high antioxidant activity of vanillic acid, chrysin, catechin, and pinobanksin, which were found in substantial amounts in the fruit extract powder (a total of 5470.40 μg/g). In contrast, samples with a reduced sugar content exhibited quality parameters similar to those of the control sample, except for colour differences (ΔE), where the highest values were observed. The addition of fruit extract to the wafer cream enhanced the oxidative stability of the lipid fraction, allowing for an extended shelf life without compromising the quality of the wafer fillings.