CAROTENOID RETENTION AND SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS OF SELECTED VEGETABLES PREPARED BY INDUCTION STIR‐FRYING*

ABSTRACT

The effects of induction stir‐frying on carotenoid retention and sensory characteristics of selected vegetables (carrot, green spring onion, red pepper, snow pea, white spring onion and yellow pepper) were investigated. Cooking times ranged from 4 to 6 min, and cooking yields from 70.9 to 92.0%. The stir‐fried vegetables retained (w/w) more than 85% (mean) of each of their carotenoids (β‐carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, α‐carotene, β‐cryptoxanthin and lycopene). Over three‐quarters of the 78 consumer panelists reported liking extremely/liking very much or liking moderately/liking slightly the appearance, color, flavor, texture and overall acceptability of carrot, green spring onion, red pepper, snow pea and yellow pepper; whereas, half to three‐quarters reported similarly for white spring onion. Few differences in attribute responses were observed by gender. Induction stir‐fried vegetables had excellent carotenoid retention, and the consumer panelists indicated liking them slightly to extremely.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

This study indicates that vegetables that are cooked by induction stir‐frying retained (w/w) over 85% of their carotenoid content and had sensory characteristics that the consumer panelists liked. Perhaps individuals, specifically college students, might be inclined to consume more cooked vegetables if they liked the appearance, color, flavor, texture and overall acceptability of the vegetables. Consuming vegetables containing higher amounts of the carotenoids may also be beneficial.

     

Identification of Drivers of Liking for Bar‐Type Snacks Based on Individual Consumer Preference

Understanding consumer hedonic responses on food products are of greatest interests in global food industry. A global partial least square regression (GPLSR) had been well accepted method for understanding consumer preferences. Recently, individual partial least square regression (IPLSR) was accepted as an alternative method of predicting consumer preferences on given food product, because it utilizes the individual differences on product acceptability. To improve the understanding of what constitutes bar‐type snack preference, the relationship between sensory attributes and consumer overall liking for 12 bar‐type snacks was determined. Sensory attributes that drive consumer product likings were analyzed using averaged‐consumer data by GPLSR. To facilitate the interpretation of individual consumer liking, a dummy matrix for the significant weighted regression coefficients of each consumer derived from IPLSR was created. From the application of GPLSR and IPLSR, current study revealed that chocolate and cereal‐flavored bars were preferred over fruit‐flavored bars. Attributes connected to chocolate flavor positively influenced consumer overall likings on the global and individual consumer levels. Textural attributes affected liking only on the individual level. To fully capture the importance of sensory attributes on consumer preference, the use of GPLSR in conjunction with IPLSR is recommended.     

Ham Particle Size Influences Saltiness Perception in Flans

One major issue of the food industry is reducing sodium content while maintaining food acceptability and liking. Despite extensive research in this field, little has been published on real complex food products. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the size of particles, a parameter easily adjusted in food processing, could influence the salty taste of low‐salt food product. We thus evaluated the effect of ham particle sizes (4 levels, including a zero level) on salt perception and the consumer liking of flans varying in their overall salt concentrations (low‐ and high‐salt content). Two consumer panels, composed of 107 and 77 subjects, rated, respectively, the saltiness of and liking for the developed flans (8 samples). The outcomes of this study indicated first, that the addition of ham to flans increased the salty taste perception and second, that a decrease in ham particle size (ground ham) increased the perceived saltiness. Moreover, low‐ and high‐salt flans were equally liked, demonstrating that food manufacturers could reduce the salt contents (here, by over 15%) while maintaining consumer acceptability through the manipulation of the size of the salt‐providing particles.     

UHT纯牛奶消费喜好和关键感官特性的关联分析

以14种市场上不同类型超高温（Ultra-high temperature,UHT）纯牛奶为研究对象,采用9点喜好标度、适合项勾选法（Check-All-That-Apply,CATA）和恰好标度,同时结合偏最小二乘回归分析（PLS）分析不同类型UHT奶消费喜好和关键感官特性接受性差异。研究表明：不同类型UHT奶的整体喜好值范围为4.07~6.25,脱脂奶和部分全脂奶的喜好值最低（<5）,全脂和低脂奶的整体喜好差异不显著（p>0.05）。不同类型UHT奶的乳香、甜味、余味、浓稠和爽滑5个关键感官特性接受性上存在显著差异（p<0.05）,通过PLS回归模型筛选出导致消费喜好差异的7个关键感官特性接受性指标,分别为余味、乳香、甜味、浓稠、爽滑（-）、甜味（-）和乳香（-）。甜味和乳香偏弱以及爽滑度不够是分别导致低脂奶和部分全脂奶样品整体喜好偏低的关键感官特性。相关研究旨在为后期UHT纯牛奶消费喜好和产品感官品质研究提供基础理论和数据参考。     

Sensory profile,acceptability, and their relationship for diabetic/reduced calorie chocolates

The purpose of this study was to determine the sensory properties and acceptability of lab developed prototypes of conventional, diabetic (with no sugar), and diabetic/reduced calorie milk chocolates (no sugar and 25% calorie reduction) with high-intensity sweeteners, sucralose and stevioside, and partial fat replacement with whey protein concentrate (WPC). PLS was performed in order to relate sensory properties and consumer acceptability and to determine drivers of liking and disliking. There was no difference between conventional, diabetic and diabetic/reduced calorie milk chocolates for brightness, cocoa aroma, cocoa butter aroma, and cocoa flavor (p > 0.05). Acceptability was higher for sucrose substitution by sucralose than by stevioside and partial fat replacement reduced acceptability of flavor even more (p ? 0.05). Crucial attributes which determine consumer acceptability in samples are sweet aroma, melting rate, and sweetness, whereas bitterness, bitter aftertaste, adherence, and sandiness were drivers of disliking.     

CHEMICAL,MICROBIAL, AND SENSORY EVALUATION OF A FROZEN KUBBEE PRODUCT1

Kubbee, a Middle Eastern entree, was made from ground beef (10% fat), bulgur wheat, and spices with a filling of barbecue sauce. Shelf‐life of raw and precooked vacuum packaged product was evaluated during 180 days of storage at ?18C. Precooked frozen kubbees were reheated in a conventional or microwave oven, and uncooked frozen kubbee was baked in a conventional oven prior to evaluation. Except for redness, color values did not change during storage (P < 0.05), but pH and TBA values increased slightly after 60 days. Kubbee was microbiologically stable throughout the storage period. Some sensory properties of the products deteriorated with storage time and microwave reheating. Overall liking of kubbee by consumers was 7.2 on a scale of 1 to 9.     

Alternative protein sources in Western diets: Food product development and consumer acceptance of spirulina-filled pasta

Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) is currently being increasingly researched for its usability and suitability in human nutrition. The inclusion of alternative protein sources, such as spirulina, in familiar products is a possible strategy to nudge consumers towards dietary change in Western societies. Filled pasta variants with three levels of spirulina-soy-extrudate in the filling (10%, 30% or 50%) were developed and investigated for their sensory characteristics and consumer liking. Recipe development was based on the concepts of flavor-flavor learning (beet-ginger or tomato) and masking (lemon-basil) to account for the musty and earthy notes of the alga. Consumer tests were conducted in Germany (n = 139), the Netherlands (n = 137) and France (n = 144), and conventional sensory profiling was accomplished with trained panelists (n = 12). Consumers preferred the lemon-basil flavor over tomato and beet-ginger flavored fillings. As expected, liking decreased with increased extrudate content, regardless of the flavor. For all flavors expected liking was higher than liking after product exposure; for the lemon-basil flavor the gap was the smallest. It was shown that low general food neophobia and familiarity with spirulina promoted consumer liking. The sensory profiling revealed that the spirulina-soy-extrudate content affected all sensory attributes identified across all flavors, but for the tomato flavor the most. Overall, this study confirms that it is important to consider differences in consumer motivation as well as the product’s conceptual and intrinsic sensory characteristics in new product development.     

Reduction of Sodium and Fat Levels in Natural and Processed Cheeses: Scientific and Technological Aspects

ABSTRACT: The various types of cheese are nutrient‐dense foods that are good sources of calcium, phosphorus, and protein. They are also important ingredients in many highly consumed foods such as pizza, cheeseburgers, and sauces. However, they are also perceived as being high in fat and sodium. Consumers have indicated that they would like to continue utilizing cheese in their diet but would prefer to have lower‐fat and lower‐sodium products. Fat and salt are important elements in the flavor, texture, food safety, and overall acceptability of cheese. Alternatives to fat and salt are being investigated but have not been found to be acceptable, especially in those products that meet the FDA's definition of low‐fat and/or low‐sodium. This review is primarily a report on the current status of research to develop desirable cheeses with low‐fat and/or low‐sodium, their regulatory and labeling status, consumer acceptability, and challenges for further efforts.     

SENSORY ACCEPTABILITY OF A DEEP-FRIED CARROT CHIP PRODUCT AS EVALUATED BY AMERICAN AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN CONSUMER PANELS

Following development of deep‐fried carrot chips, a high provitamin A carotenoid‐snack, consumer acceptances for color, uniformity, overall appearance, odor, saltiness, sweetness, overall flavor, crispiness, oiliness, overall texture, and overall acceptability of the product were evaluated. Eighty‐nine consumer panelists consisting of Americans from the Plains states of the United States (n = 45) and Southeast Asians (n = 44), males and females,19–45 years, participated in this study. Color, uniformity, and odor were rated as good. Saltiness and sweetness were rated as nearly about right. Crispiness was rated as good, and oiliness as slightly oily. Generally, the product was acceptable to both types of consumer panelists, American and Southeast Asian, as shown by their ratings on overall appearance, overall flavor, overall texture, and overall acceptability. The differences in acceptance among country, gender, and country X gender groups were statistically not significant (P0.05).     

INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE AND LIGHT EXPOSURE ON SENSORY SHELF-LIFE OF A COMMERCIAL SUNFLOWER OIL

The objectives of the present work were to: (1) correlate consumer acceptability measured with a consumer panel versus oxidized flavor measured with a trained sensory panel to thus define the sensory failure of a commercial sunflower oil; and (2) study the effect of storage temperature and light exposure on the sensory shelf‐life of sunflower oil bottled in polyethylene tetraphtalate (PET) with nitrogen in the headspace. Of the consumers, 15% unexpectedly preferred the more oxidized oil samples than the fresh ones. Their data were not considered in sensory failure calculations. By correlating the consumer data with the trained sensory panel data, a sensory failure point of 3.6 on a 0 to 10 oxidation flavor scale was obtained. Both storage temperature and exposure to light had a significant effect on shelf‐life. Estimated shelf‐lives at an ambient temperature of 20C were 281 days for light exposed oil, and greater than 2 years for oil kept in the dark.     

Sensory attributes of low‐fat strawberry yoghurt as influenced by honey from different floral sources,sucrose and high‐fructose corn sweetener

Low‐fat strawberry yoghurts were prepared with each of five alternative sweeteners: sucrose, high‐fructose corn syrup and honey from three different floral sources. A ninety‐nine‐member consumer panel evaluated the yoghurts for flavour, aroma, sweetness and overall acceptance. Degree of liking was scored by the panellists on a nine‐point hedonic scale. Panellists preferred sucrose‐sweetened yoghurts over those sweetened with high‐fructose corn syrup and honey (P < 0.05). Among the honey‐sweetened yoghurts, sage honey was the most liked (P < 0.05), followed by alfalfa‐ and sourwood‐sweetened yoghurts.