Comparison of aspartame- and fructose-sweetened layer cakes: importance of panels of users for evaluation of alternative sweeteners.

Panelists with and without known carbohydrate metabolic diseases evaluated layer cakes sweetened with aspartame, alone or in combination with low levels of fructose, for texture and flavor. Panelists used a 5-point, descriptive rating scale to evaluate flavor and texture of lemon, orange, spice, and chocolate layer cakes baked in conventional and microwave ovens. Panelists judged that aspartame alone was not suitable in layer cakes. In general, healthy panelists evaluated the cakes as sweeter, crust bitterness as greater, and overall eating quality as higher than the panel members with carbohydrate metabolic disorders. Panelists did not differ in their evaluation of textural qualities.