Relating the tribo-rheological properties of chocolate flavoured milk to temporal aspects of texture

Methods and instruments for the evaluation of food texture: Advances and perspectives

Evaluation of food texture is crucial for product development and quality control in the food industry. To objectively evaluate the texture, the methods to characterize the texture attributes by instruments become increasingly important. This review mainly introduces the advances of instrumental methods by rheology and tribology in food texture studies, with a focus on the instrumental applications in four complex texture attributes, including thickness, astringency, creaminess, and graininess. It discusses the mechanism of food texture perception by finding the optimal instrumental method, but quantitatively correlating the instrumental parameters with sensory texture remains a challenge. Moreover, the perspectives of new cutting-edge technologies including micro-analytical, tactile sensing, and biomimetic techniques, are introduced. The review provides a possible direction that integrating the technologies not only by rheology and tribology, but also by multi-modal tactile sensing, will deepen the understanding of sensory texture perception and advance the instrument development for food texture evaluation.

Technological characterization of strawberry spread: comparison of bulking agent types

A novel and successful formulation of strawberry spread was developed in this research. The new products formulated with freeze-dried strawberry powder and different bulking agents (maltodextrin, polydextrose, inulin, modified potato starch, wheat starch) were investigated in terms of physicochemical, textural, rheological and sensory aspects. Casson and Ostwald de Waele models showed that the spreads were pseudoplastic fluids. MD and PD caused an increase in firmness, spreadability, stickiness, apparent viscosity, yield stress, consistency coefficient, and storage and loss modulus, while a decrease in particle size parameters, oil separation, plastic viscosity. Moreover, the hedonic sensory scores of spreads with MD and PD were higher. Overall, strawberry spread with MD could be developed as a novel confectionery food with better structure-texture and colour-appearance characteristics.

Formulation optimization of a probiotic low-calorie chocolate milk and investigating its qualitative properties during storage

Due to concern regarding the consumption of high amount of sugar in diet and role of diet in combating overweigh and related disease, the aim of present study was to optimize a reduced calorie probiotic chocolate milk formula with suitable physicochemical properties. The formula comprising inulin, stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni), chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seed gum (CSG), and whey protein concentrate (WPC) which optimized using Box-Behnken design (BBD) and then enriched with an encapsulated probiotic strain Lactobacillus acidophilus (DSM1643). The independent variables included inulin (2-8%), CSG (0.1-0.5 %), stevia (50-100 % replacement of sugar), and WPC (1-3%). The dependent variables were selected as viscosity, average particle size, sedimentation percentage, and general acceptance. Optimization done toward achieving the highest viscosity and general acceptance and the lowest sedimentation percentage and average particle size. The optimal conditions were found to be 7.99 % inulin, 70 % stevia, 0.34 % CSG, and 1 % WPC. Under these conditions, the viscosity, sedimentation percentage, average particle size, and general acceptance of the product were equal to 40.69 mPa s, 2.2 %, 434.221 nm, and 5.1, respectively. Next, the chocolate milk was enriched with at 109 CFU/g probiotic bacteria and evaluated. The probiotic strain was resistant to simulated gastrointestinal conditions and under this condition the free bacterial cells count declined by 8 logCFU/g while the encapsulated cells decreased approximate 3 logCFU/g. The bacteria count did not undergo a significant change until the 5th day of storage. The results showed that the inulin, stevia, CSG, and WPC at optimal concentrations and encapsulated probiotic bacteria could be simultaneously applied to produce a product with good properties. This formula could be considered as a new product with health improving properties, low calorie which is suitable for people suffering from diabetes and obesity.

Correlation of rheology and oral tribology with sensory perception of commercial hazelnut and cocoa-based spreads

This study examined the effects of spread formulation and the structural/lubricant properties of six different commercial hazelnut and cocoa spreads on sensory perception. Rheology, tribology, and quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) was assessed by also evaluating the correlation coefficients between the quality descriptor and the rheological and textural parameters. The viscosity was evaluated at different temperatures to better simulate conditions before and after ingestion. Tribological analysis was executed at 37°C to mimic the human oral cavity. The effect of saliva presence and the number of runs on tribological behaviors was investigated. Moreover, textural, calorimetric, and particle size distribution measurements were performed to reinforce the correlation between structural/thermal parameters (e.g., firmness, stickiness, sugar melting point) and sensory aspects. "Visual viscosity," defined as a sensory attribute evaluated prior to consumption, negatively correlated with apparent viscosity measured at 20°C and 10 s-1, whereas "body," defined during oral processing and related to creaminess, positively correlated with apparent viscosity measured at 37°C and 50 s-1. These attributes were mainly influenced by particulate microstructure and solid volume fraction within the formulation. Textural stickiness positively correlated with sensory "adhesiveness" and was related to fat composition and milk powder addition, while "sweetness" was related to sucrose content and sugar melting enthalpy. Tribological data provided meaningful information related to particle-derived attributes, as well as after-coating perception (fattiness/oiliness), thus better predicting food evolution during oral consumption.

Multi-attribute temporal descriptive methods in sensory analysis applied in food science: A systematic scoping review

Among descriptive sensory evaluation methods, temporal methods have a wide audience in food science because they make it possible to follow perception as close as possible to the moment when sensations are perceived. The aim of this work was to describe 30 years of research involving temporal methods by mapping the scientific literature using a systematic scoping review. Thus, 363 research articles found from a search in Scopus and Web of Science from 1991 to 2022 were included. The extracted data included information on the implementation of studies referring to the use of temporal methods (details related to subjects, products, descriptors, research design, data analysis, etc.), reasons why they were used and the conclusions they allowed to be drawn. Metadata analysis and critical appraisal were also carried out. A quantitative and qualitative synthesis of the results allowed the identification of trends in the way in which the methods were developed, refined, and disseminated. Overall, a large heterogeneity was noted in the way in which the temporal measurements were carried out and the results presented. Some critical research gaps in establishing the validity and reliability of temporal methods have also been identified. They were mostly related to the details of implementation of the methods (e.g., almost no justification for the number of consumers included in the studies, absence of report on panel repeatability) and data analysis (e.g., prevalence of use of exploratory data analysis, only 20% of studies using confirmatory analyses considering the dynamic nature of the data). These results suggest the need for general guidelines on how to implement the method, analyze and interpret data, and report the results. Thus, a template and checklist for reporting data and results were proposed to help increase the quality of future research.

Temporal Sensory Perceptions of Sugar-Reduced 3D Printed Chocolates

Sugar-reduced chocolates with desirable sensory qualities and sweetness can be created using a 3D printer by layering chocolates with different sugar concentrations. This study aimed to evaluate the temporal sensory profile, perceived sweetness intensity, and acceptance of prototype sugar-reduced and non-sugar-reduced 3D printed chocolates. A consumer panel (n = 72) evaluated the sensory profiles of six-layered chocolates. Sensory profiles were determined by temporal dominance of sensations (TDS), overall sweetness by a five-point intensity scale, overall liking by the nine-point hedonic scale, and differences among chocolates over time were visualized by principal component analysis (PCA). Layering by 3D printing achieved a 19% reduction in sugar without changes in the perceived overall sweetness and overall liking. Layering order of high and low sugar chocolate influenced the perceived overall sweetness and temporal sensory profiles of 3D printed chocolates with different total sugar concentrations. The dominance of attributes associated with milk chocolate was observed to increase sweetness perception while the dominance of attributes associated with dark chocolate was observed to decrease overall sweetness perception. Three-dimensional food printing technology is progressing rapidly, and further sugar reduction could be achieved with refined research methods.

Effect of Ginger on Chemical Composition, Physical and Sensory Characteristics of Chicken Soup

In order to investigate the effect of ginger on taste components and sensory characteristics in chicken soup, the content of amino acids, organic acids, 5′-nucleotides, and mineral elements were determined in chicken soup sample. With the ginger added, free amino acids in chicken soup obviously increased and exceeded the total amounts in ginger soup and chicken soup. The content of glutamic acid (122.74 μg/mL) was the highest among 17 free amino acids in ginger chicken soup. Meanwhile, six organic acids detected in chicken soup all obviously increased, among which lactic acid (1523.58 μg/mL) and critic acid (4692.41 μg/mL) exceeded 1000 μg/mL. The content of 5′-nucleotides had no obvious difference between ginger chicken soup and chicken soup. Compared with chicken soup, ginger chicken soup had a smaller particle size (136.43 nm) and color difference (79.69), but a higher viscosity. With ginger added in chicken soup, the content of seven mineral elements was reduced, and the content of total sugar increased. Results from an electronic tongue indicated a difference in taste profiles among the soups. The taste components and sensory quality of chicken soup were obviously affected by adding the ginger.