Abstract:A meal replacement powder formulation rich in prebiotics was optimized using the response surface methodology (RSM) in this study. Since konjac exhibits a high swelling coefficient as well as high satiety and prebiotics, such as inulin, fructo-oligosaccharide, and isomalto-oligosaccharide, which can improve the intestinal flora, it was used to produce the meal replacement powder together with soy protein isolate, phytosterol esters, xylitol, taro powder, and sucralose. The single-factor, Plackett-Burman, and Box-Behnken designs, and steepest ascent method were employed to optimize the meal replacement powder formulation. Subsequently, the optimal formulation of the powder was evaluated based on its sensory quality. The formulation of the meal replacement powder optimized using the RSM included 3.42 g konjac, 0.80 g soy protein isolate, 0.23 g phytosterol ester, 8.00 g prebiotics (combinations of 2.50 g inulin, 2.50 g fructo-oligosaccharide, and 3.00 g isomalto-oligosaccharide), 1.00 g xylitol, 1.20 g taro powder, and 0.005 g sucralose. The actual sensory score of the optimized meal replacement powder was 93.16±0.73, and the powder could fully dissolve in 50±6 s. The meal replacement powder could dissolve well with no particles left, and it exhibited a uniform color, delicate texture, moderate viscosity, pure taste, and no strange smell. Moreover the physical, chemical, and microbial properties of the meal replacement powder were determined according to the national food standards, and the results met the requirements.
