An investigation by thermal analysis of glycosidic natural sweeteners

The demand for non-nutritive sweeteners of natural origin has increased in recent years, mainly driven by health concerns and the quest for a healthier lifestyle. This work aimed to investigate the content of steviol glycosides from Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni and cucurbitane glycosides from monk fruit in commercial samples of sweeteners using thermal analysis techniques (TG/DTG, DTA, and DSC), FTIR, EDS. Four commercial samples were analyzed based on steviol glycosides (E, E2, E3, E4) and one sample based on cucurbitane glycosides (M1). The thermogravimetry (TG) results showed that the thermal stability order of the samples till 200 degrees C was equal to E4 > M1 approximate to E2 > E > E3. Despite being marketed based on different natural glycosides, thermal analysis techniques showed similar thermal profiles between E2 and M1 samples. The DSC curves of these samples showed clear erythritol melting events, and the FTIR spectra confirmed the presence of this polyol in E2 and M1 samples. On the other hand, the DSC curve and the FTIR spectrum confirmed the presence of xylitol in the composition of the E4 sample.