Effect of gelatin content and oral processing ability on vitamin C release in gummy jelly.

In order to investigate the factors affecting the release of vitamin C (VC) in gummy jelly during oral processing, four levels of gelatin (3%, 6%, 9% and 12%) were selected and a bionic chewing robot was employed in chewing experiments. Textural profile analysis showed the hardness of gummy jelly increased from 91.7 N to 198.8 N when the gelatin content was raised from 3 to 12%. Single factor chewing experiment showed that the release of VC was positively correlated with chewing frequency (Fchew) and chewing strain (STchew), while negatively correlated with gelatin content, chewing speed (SPchew) and volume of saliva (Vsaliva). Orthogonal chewing experiment showed that the priority of the factors affected the release of VC was following: STchew > Fchew > SPchew > Vsaliva. Multivariate linear regression analysis proposed a model to predict the amount of VC released and the goodness-of-fit of the model was 95.7%. The amount of VC released was the highest under the combination of Fchew 12 times, STchew 100%, Vsaliva 2 ml and SPchew 40 times/min. The optimal amount of gelatin addition was 6%. This study provided an effective reference for the formula design and chewing mode optimization of gummy jelly. © Association of Food Scientists & Technologists (India) 2021.