Influence of processing conditions on the physicochemical and sensory properties of sesame milk: A novel nutritional beverage

Production of sesame milk is one of the methods for increasing consumption of sesame as an excellent nutritional resource. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of sodium bicarbonate concentration in soaking water (0, 0.5 and 1 g/100 mL NaHCO₃), roasting temperature (0 and 145 °C) and blanching time (0, 15 and 30 min) on physicochemical and sensory properties of sesame milk. Changes promoted by these processing conditions were also evaluated via color analysis and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The processing parameters mainly affected pH, total solids, protein, fat, ash, lipoxygenase activity, stability, specific gravity, viscosity, color features and sensory properties. Sensory evaluation revealed that overall acceptability was higher in all treatments than the control. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that 7S globulins decreased by roasting and soaking while 11S globulins of sesame milk proteins increased by roasting. The optimum processing conditions were found to be soaking in water containing 0.5 g/100 mL NaHCO₃, blanching for 15 min and without any roasting when desirability function method was applied.