eng Enviro Research Publishers Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science Journal 2347-467X 2322-0007 2024-12-15 12 3 1106 1118 10.12944/CRNFSJ.12.3.10 21322 article Veronika Barišić 1 Đurđica Ačkar 1 Ivana Lončarević 2 Jovana Petrović 2 Mirta Benšić 3 Daniela Paulik 1 Faculty of Food Technology Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Franje Kuhača, Osijek, Croatia Faculty of Technology Novi Sad, University of Novi Sad, Bulevar cara Lazara, Novi Sad, Serbia School of Applied Mathematics and Informatics, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Trg Ljudevita Gaja, Osijek, Croatia Federal Agro Mediterranean Institute, Biskupa Čule 10, 88000 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina Due to unhealthy lifestyle, Western countries are dealing with pandemic of overweight and obesity. To tackle the problem, industry has been looking for solutions to produce nutritionally improved foods. In the present research, sucrose was fully substituted with xylitol, or by combination of xylitol and stevia with cocoa shell as a bulking agent. Apart from reducing caloric value of the sweet spreads, protein, ash, methylxanthine and phenolic compound contents were increased, without major influence on fatty acid composition. The spreads with added cocoa shell may be declared as a source fibre. Although stability of sweet spreads during storage was not compromised, which is visible from low water activity (between 0.132 for control sample and 0.233 for sample with 52 % xylitol) and high colloidal stability (above 99), rheological properties and texture of the spreads deteriorated (increase of plastic viscosity from 3.708 Pas up to 18.280 Pas and decrease of spreadability from 1180.43 gs up to 334.670 gs), which could pose an issue from the technological and sensorial points of view. Overall, satisfactory products were obtained with potential for further upgrade for industrial production. https://www.foodandnutritionjournal.org/volume12number3/cocoa-shell-as-a-bulking-agent-in-nutritionally-improved-cocoa-spreads-with-sugar-substitutes/ Cocoa shell Nutritional value Physicochemical properties Stevia Xylitol