## 2 Materials and Methods
### Methodology  
The peaches used as the raw material were carefully selected so that they were at the right stage of ripening, had no discolorations, marks and visible defects by diseases or insects. Immediately, the peaches were cut in half, and their core was removed with the help of a special, Filper-type cutting machine from PCE (CS 1000N model, Force Gauge,Copiague, NY, USA). Then, the peaches were peeled in the peeler in the presence of caustic soda at a high temperature (90 \({}^{\circ}\)C). The peaches were washed thoroughly with cool water to remove soda and pit residues and to cool down. This was followed by sorting, where the fruit that did not meet size criteria was rejected. The process is described step by step:  
(1) The first step in preparing all samples, except the one containing only water, was to create the syrup. Water was heated in a pot on a gas stove, and the remaining ingredients were added.  
(2) The Stevia Strong and Stevia Medium samples contained Stevia as a sweetener, while the Agave Stevia sample combined Stevia with Agave syrup. The Choice 4 sample used sugar and glucose, and the Water sample contained only water. Citric and ascorbic acids were added to all samples except Water.  
(3) Peaches were individually weighed on a precision scale and placed into jars to achieve a target weight of 330-340 g.  
(4) The jars were then filled to the brim with hot syrup (230-240 g).  
(5) Simultaneously, another pot was partially filled with water and heated on a separate stovetop. The water temperature was continuously monitored until it stabilized at 90-92 \({}^{\circ}\)C for the degassing process.  
(6) Once the target temperature was reached, the jars were carefully placed in the pot, and water was added until it covered three-quarters of their height.  
(7) The start of the degassing process was indicated by the appearance of bubbles at the top of the jars, signifying oxygen removal.  
(8) After degassing, the jars were removed from the pot and placed on the laboratory counter.  
(9) At this stage, the jars were hermetically sealed with lids and positioned upside down on the counter.  
(10) For pasteurization, a separate pot with a larger volume of water was heated until it stabilized at 95-96 \({}^{\circ}\)C.  
(11) The sealed jars were fully submerged in this pot for pasteurization. Afterward, they were removed from the heat and placed under a laboratory tap, where they were gradually cooled with running water for about 30 min. Special care was taken to prevent sudden temperature changes that could cause the glass to break.  
Pilot production of the tested samples and organoleptic acceptability took place at facilities provided by the company Intercomm Foods S.A. (ISO 22000) [26].  
The macronutrient profile of the tested food products was analyzed according to methods described in the Association of Official Analytical Chemists International (AOAC) (2021), and also polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids were determined by AOAC [27], and the type of carbohydrate content was determined with the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method [28].  
The formulation was not an easy process, but finally the University of Thessaly team found the recipe analogy to achieve the best organoleptic acceptance of the novel product (Table 1).  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c} \hline
**Ingredients** & **Stevia Strong** & **Stevia Medium** & **Agave Stevia** & **Glucose/Sugar** & **Water** \\ \hline Peaches & 340 & 340 & 340 & 340 & 340 \\ Stevia & 0.4 & 0.3 & 0.15 & - & - \\ Agave syrup & - & - & 30 & - & - \\ Sugar & - & - & - & 35 & - \\ Citric oxide & 1.5 & 1.5 & 1.5 & 1.5 & - \\ Ascorbic acid & 0.5 & 0.5 & 0.5 & 0.5 & - \\ Glucose & - & - & - & 30 & - \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 1: Formulation and process information of canned peach halves (_Fercluse_ variety) with the substitution of sugar with sweetening agents (Stevia and Agave syrup).