## 3 Results and Discussion  
### Functional Characteristics of T. catapa and Its Blends with Erythritrol and Cane Sugar  
The water and oil absorption characteristics of _T. catappa_ flour and its blends with erythritol and cane sugar are presented in Table 1.  
The water holding capacity (WHC) values ranged from 4.20 \(\pm\) 0.47 to 4.48 \(\pm\) 0.13 g H\({}_{2}\)O/g DM, with the highest value observed for pure _T. catappa_ powder. Adding erythroid and cane sugar resulted in slight, though statistically insignificant (\(p\) > 0.05), decreases in WHC values, probably caused by solubilizing of the sweeteners without capturing water in the matrix. Water absorption capacity (WAC) exhibited values between 2.33 \(\pm\) 0.17 and 2.65 \(\pm\) 0.08 g H\({}_{2}\)O/g DM. The 5% erythroid blend showed the highest WAC (2.65 \(\pm\) 0.08), while the 15% cane sugar blend demonstrated the lowest value (2.33 \(\pm\) 0.17). The oil absorption capacity (OAC) values were relatively consistent across all samples, ranging from 1.61 \(\pm\) 0.03 to 1.91 \(\pm\) 0.13 g oil/g DM, with no statistically significant differences. The hydrophilic/lipophilic index (HLI) values remained stable across all samples, ranging from 1.35 \(\pm\) 0.17 to 1.51 \(\pm\) 0.30, indicating that the addition of sweeteners did not significantly affect the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance of the blends. The water absorption index (WAI) showed a decreasing trend with increasing sweetener content, with values ranging from 2.81 \(\pm\) 0.02 to 3.31 \(\pm\) 0.13 g H\({}_{2}\)O/g DM. The highest WAI was observed in pure _T. catappa_ (3.31 \(\pm\) 0.13), while the 15% cane sugar blend showed the lowest value (2.81 \(\pm\) 0.02). Water solubility index (WSI) values varied from 14.69 \(\pm\) 4.12 to 23.19 \(\pm\) 0.86 g H\({}_{2}\)O/100 g DM, with the highest value observed in the 15% cane sugar blend. Swelling power (SP) showed minimal variation across samples, ranging from 3.63 \(\pm\) 0.13 to 3.95 \(\pm\) 0.06 g H\({}_{2}\)O/g DM, with pure _T. catappa_ exhibiting the highest value. These results suggest that while adding sweeteners impacted the asymptotical characteristics of _T. catappa_ powder, most changes were relatively modest, except the WSI, which showed more pronounced variations with sweetener addition. The water holding capacity (WHC) values (4.20-4.48) for _T. catappa_ powder and its blends demonstrate good water retention properties comparable to other nut flours. The \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Sample** & **WHC** & **WAC** & **WAI** & **SP** & **WSI** & **OAC** & **HLI** \\ \hline \multicolumn{6}{c}{**g H\({}_{2}\)O/g DM**} & \multicolumn{6}{c}{**g H\({}_{2}\)O/100 g DM**} & **g oil/g DM**} \\ \hline _T. catappa_ & 4.48 \(\pm\) 0.13 a & 2.61 \(\pm\) 0.02 b & 3.31 \(\pm\) 0.13 c & 3.95 \(\pm\) 0.06 b & 14.69 \(\pm\) 4.12 a & 1.84 \(\pm\) 0.02 a & 1.47 \(\pm\) 0.02 a \\ \hline
5-E & 4.42 \(\pm\) 0.25 a & 2.65 \(\pm\) 0.08 b & 2.98 \(\pm\) 0.06 b & 3.83 \(\pm\) 0.33 ab & 21.10 \(\pm\) 4.92 bc & 1.85 \(\pm\) 0.18 a & 1.49 \(\pm\) 0.21 a \\ \hline
15-E & 4.39 \(\pm\) 0.51 a & 2.45 \(\pm\) 0.06 ab & 2.86 \(\pm\) 0.02 ab & 3.70 \(\pm\) 0.05 ab & 21.67 \(\pm\) 0.88 bc & 1.73 \(\pm\) 0.37 a & 1.51 \(\pm\) 0.30 a \\ \hline
5-CS & 4.29 \(\pm\) 0.15 a & 2.48 \(\pm\) 0.18 ab & 2.96 \(\pm\) 0.03 b & 3.63 \(\pm\) 0.13 a & 17.27 \(\pm\) 1.89 ab & 1.91 \(\pm\) 0.13 a & 1.35 \(\pm\) 0.17 a \\ \hline
15-CS & 4.20 \(\pm\) 0.47 a & 2.33 \(\pm\) 0.17 a & 2.81 \(\pm\) 0.02 a & 3.69 \(\pm\) 0.05 ab & 23.19 \(\pm\) 0.86 c & 1.61 \(\pm\) 0.03 a & 1.50 \(\pm\) 0.10 a \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}  
* E–erythritol, CS—cane sugar, 5 and 15 eands 5 g added per 100 g of _T. catappa_ flour, WHC—water holding capacity, WAC—water absorption capacity, OAC—oil absorption capacity, HLI—hydrophilic-lipophilic index, WAI—water absorption index, WSI—water solubility index, SP—swelling power. Lowercase letters mean significant differences in columns at \(p\) = 0.05.  
\end{table} 
Table 1: Absorptional characteristics of _T.