The addition of sorbitol and glycerol to improve the physico-chemical and sensory characteristics of chocolate dodol

Dodol is a traditional food from Indonesia which made from glutinous rice flour, coconut milk, and sugar. Chocolate dodol is one variant of dodol that use cocoa powder on its formulation. Dodol has a sweet taste and chewy texture, but its shelf life is very short, i.e., 4-5 days only. Therefore it needs an additional humectant, such as glycerol and sorbitol, to decrease the water activity (a(w)) of the product and increase its shelf life. This research aimed to determine the effect of glycerol and sorbitol addition to the physical, chemical and sensory characteristics of chocolate dodol. The addition of glycerol and sorbitol to the chocolate dodol formulation were 0%, 6%, 8%, and 10%. The addition of sorbitol and glycerol to chocolate dodol product decreased water activity, increased texture characteristic, and have no significant difference in sensory preferences. In the same concentration, the addition of glycerol has a lower a(w) than sorbitol. Panelists most preferred chocolate dodol with 6% sorbitol addition. It have a(w) 0,74; L*-a*-b* value 25,47; 3,66 and 0,73.