The market drive to develop lite foods in Australia. Extensive research has been conducted in the area of dairy products and processed meats. Some research has been carried out on cookies, crackers and cakes, whilst little has been done on plain sweet biscuits. As plain sweet biscuits have a considerable share of the Australian biscuit market, the potential for reducing sugar and fat in this variety was investigated. The functional properties of polydextrose as a sugar and a fat replacer were also determined. Replacements of up to 100% sugar and 50% fat were separately achieved using polydextrose without significantly affecting sensory acceptability. Up to 20% fat was successfully removed from the formulation containing 100% polydextrose in replacement for sugar. The total energy was reduced, with the energy contribution from fat being below, whilst sugar was slightly above the NH and MRC dietary targets / Master of Science (Hons)