The Development of Burfi Sweetened with Aspartame

Sucrose was successfully replaced with the sweetener aspartame for the preparation of the indigenous dairy product burfi. Analytical conditions were standardised for the solid phase extraction of aspartame and its degradation products from burfi followed by their reverse phase HPLC. Recovery using this method was 90-97%. Aspartame at a level of 0.065% of milk w/w scored highest in terms of sweetness perception and resembled control burfi in sweetness. Storage studies at 6-8 degrees C revealed that aspartame-sweetened burfi resembled the control burfi in retaining the sensory profile, but showed an increase in acidity and microbial load and could not retain the texture. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed no degradation of aspartame in burfi, establishing its stability and hence its sweetness on storage.