Developing a Descriptive Sensory Characterization of Flour Tortilla Applying Flash Profile

Influence of plant-based gel binders and song-hwa mushroom crosslinking on functional properties and consumer perception of vegan mushroom sausage analogues

This study investigates the development of a novel vegan sausage from song-hwa mushrooms (SM), a promising meat analogue offering natural umami flavor and reduced allergenic potential compared to soybean-derived analogues. By optimizing the plant-based gel binder and thickening agents (potato starch: tragacanth gum: guar gum, 32.66: 0.30: 0.30) and processing condition (4.41 MPa and 34.48 min), the functional properties of the song-hwa mushroom sausage (SMS) were significantly improved. The syneresis and water-holding capacity (WHC) of SMS were 0.41 ± 0.04 % and 96.89 ± 0.23 %, compared to 0.38 ± 0.04 % and 94.80 ± 0.28 % for commercial sausages (CSs). SMS exhibited slightly higher syneresis and approximately 2 % greater WHC than CSs. Although SMS showed lower sensory and consumer preference compared with CSs, there was no significant difference compared to commercial vegan sausages. These findings suggest SMS as a promising alternative to commercial vegan sausages, offering a sustainable, allergen-reduced, and flavorful plant-based product.

Comparison of flash profile (FP), projective mapping (PM) and CATA for the sensory profiling of chocolate with unique flavor characteristics

Rapid sensory profiling methods, including Check-All-That-Apply (CATA), Flash Profiling (FP), and Projective Mapping (PM), are widely used to generate sensory product maps across various food product categories. However, few studies have directly compared the performance of these methods with descriptive sensory analysis (DA) in evaluating fine chocolate-a product distinguished by both core and complementary (unique) flavors. This study investigated the suitability of CATA, FP, and PM for assessing fine chocolate produced with variations in cocoa content, origin, and variety. The results showed that the sample configurations and dendrograms obtained from the three methodologies were similar. Additionally, the RV coefficients were consistently high across methods (FP = 0.84; PM = 0.83; CATA = 0.70). These findings indicate that FP and PM, which achieved higher RV coefficients, can be used as reliable quality control methods in the fine chocolate industry. Furthermore, this study highlights two key similarities between DA and the rapid methods: all methods effectively distinguished samples with different cocoa percentages and origins but were unable to differentiate between cocoa varieties. Additionally, both trained panels and consumers confirmed that the unique flavors of fine chocolate with 50 % cocoa content could still be detected.

Comparison of Vegetarian Sausages: Proximal Composition, Instrumental Texture, Rapid Descriptive Sensory Method and Overall Consumer Liking

The aim of the present research was to determine if the developed ovo-vegetarian sausage (SO), which was made with 15% chickpea flour, 51% albumin and 34% soy protein concentrate, exhibited improved physicochemical and sensory characteristics compared to vegetarian sausages available on the local market (classic vegan sausage, SC; vegan fine herb sausage, SH; and quinoa sausage, SQ). According to the physicochemical results, the developed sample, SO, presented significant differences (p < 0.05) compared to the others, including higher protein content, lower pH and a higher a* value. Three types of sensory analyses were conducted-flash profile, overall liking and purchase intention (to determine consumers' willingness to purchase the product)-with the first involving 15 consumers and the second and third involving 60 participants each. Descriptors for each sample were determined using the vocabulary provided by consumers in the flash profile analysis. Descriptors for SO included 'elastic', 'smell of cooked corn', 'characteristic flavor', 'pasty', 'soft' and 'pastel color', contributing to its greater overall liking and purchase intention compared to the others. Through the hierarchical multiple factor analysis, a positive correlation was observed between the texture and sensory descriptors of the flash profile. Conversely, a correlation was found between the physicochemical characteristics (pH, aw, color) and overall liking and purchase intention.

Comparison of Check-All-That-Apply (CATA), Rate-All-That-Apply (RATA), Flash Profile, Free Listing, and Conventional Descriptive Analysis for the Sensory Profiling of Sweet Pumpkin Porridge

With significant progress in the use of rapid descriptive methodologies as alternatives to conventional descriptive analysis (DA), several consumer-based approaches have emerged. In this study, we compared four such methodologies-check-all-that-apply (CATA), rate-all-that-apply (RATA), flash profile (FP), and free listing (FL)-for sensory profiling to DA, using six sweet pumpkin porridges. The DA involved eight trained panelists, whereas each consumer evaluation engaged 60 untrained consumers. Overall, the performance of the consumer methods was similar to the DA, and it could effectively profile differences in consumer perceptions of sensory attributes, as evident from high regressor vector (RV) values (>0.89). RATA exhibited the highest similarity to the DA (Rv = 0.96), featuring quicker and less tedious processes compared with FP or FL. Novel combined methods for sensory characterization using the strengths of these four approaches are warranted. This includes leveraging the simplicity and versatility of CATA or RATA coupled with the capacity of FP or FL to capture spontaneous perceptions of products by consumers.

Coconut Flour (Cocos nucifera L.) as a Partial Replacement in Wheat Flour (Triticum aestivum)-Based Tortillas and Its Effect on Dough Rheology and Tortilla Quality

Wheat-flour (WF) tortillas are among the popular flatbreads used in northern Mexico to prepare 'burritos', which are widely accepted in the USA and other countries but have low nutritional quality. Therefore, to increase the protein and fiber contents, we replaced 10 or 20% of the WF with coconut (Cocos nucifera, variety Alto Saladita) flour (CF) and evaluated the effects on the dough rheology and quality of the composite tortillas. There were differences in the optimum mixing times among the doughs. The protein, fat, and ash contents of the tortillas increased (p < 0.05) with increasing CF content. The carbohydrate content was unchanged (p > 0.05), but the 20% CF tortillas contained more fiber than the control tortilla. Tortilla firmness increased (p < 0.05) and extensibility decreased (p < 0.05) with increasing CF content. The 80:20 blended tortillas showed the highest firmness (7.9 N), whereas the control and 90:10 blended tortillas did not differ (p > 0.05) in firmness. There were no differences (p > 0.05) in extensibility between the composite tortillas. The physicochemical properties of the tortillas indicated that the 20% CF-containing tortilla was a more nutritious option to the wheat flour tortilla due to its higher dietary fiber and protein contents, in addition to the slight reduction seen in extensibility compared to the WF tortilla.

Nutritional, physical and sensory characteristics of bread with the inclusion of germinated basul (Erythrina edulis) flour

The goal was to assess the effect of different substitution levels (SL) of wheat flour with germinated basul flour (GBF) on nutritional, physical, and sensory characteristics of bread. The previously soaked basul fruits were germinated, dried, and transformed into flour. This product substituted wheat flour in the following SL: 0 (control), 5, 10, 15, and 20% of GBF, respectively, for the processing of loaves of bread. Nutritional values were determined by AOAC method. The physical characteristics assessed were weight, volume, porosity, and colour. The Flash Profile technique was used for the sensory assessment. A significant increase in the content of protein and crude fibre (3.86 and 50.49%, respectively) and a decrease in the content of carbohydrates (2.57%) were observed in all loaves with SL of 20%. With this same SL, it was observed that the physical characteristics did not differ significantly, except for height. In the sensory characteristics, loaves made with 20% SL also had a sweet flavour and a spongy appearance, except for the colour (change to opaque colour), which gradually decreased with the increased SL. The inclusion of GBF in bread improved nutritional and sensory quality, without affecting physical quality, which is why it can be considered healthy food.