Effect of Different Syrup Types on Turkish Delights (Lokum): A TD-NMR Relaxometry Study

Turkish delights were formulated by using sucrose (control) and different types of corn syrups (having varying glucose/fructose ratios) and allulose syrup. 30% allulose syrup and 30% sucrose-containing Turkish delights were found to exhibit an amorphous structure. Time-domain NMR relaxometry experiments were also conducted on delights by measuring T₂ relaxation times, and two distinct proton populations were observed in all formulations. The use of different syrup types at different substitution levels led to significant changes in the relaxation times (T_2a and T_2b) of the samples, indicating that the relaxation spectrum might be used as a fingerprint for Turkish delights containing different types and amounts of syrup types. Second moment (M₂) values which were measured from the signal acquired using a magic sandwich echo pulse sequence were also found to be an effective and promising indicator to detect the crystallinity of Turkish delights.