Consumer's perception and expected liking of labels of burgers with sodium reduction and addition of mushroom flavor enhancer.

This study investigated consumers' perception of labels of burgers with sodium reduction and/or addition of mushroom flavor enhancer. Six visual stimuli were created using a factorial design with sodium content (regular, sodium-reduced, and sodium-reduced plus health claim) and flavor enhancer (monosodium glutamate (MSG) and mushroom extract) as factors. Consumers answered an attitudinal questionnaire and evaluated the stimuli through expected liking and check-all-that-apply (CATA) questions. Three consumers' clusters were identified, which associated positive attributes to labels of burgers with mushroom flavor enhancer and negative attributes to labels of MSG-burgers, regardless of sodium content. The main positive drivers of liking were "I would buy", "attractive", "innovative", "tasty", and "contain fewer additives", which were associated with burgers with mushroom flavor enhancer, while "contain additives", "processed", "artificial", "unhealthy", and "not attractive" were the negative drivers of liking that should be modified in a reformulation to increase liking. This study provides valuable information for the development of healthier burgers and their positioning in the market.

Original burger (traditional) or burger with mushroom addition? A social representation approach to novel foods.

Currently, consumers' interest in healthy products has attracted the attention of academia and the meat industry, which has focused mainly on incorporating ingredients with healthier properties. In this context, the aim of this study was to investigate the social representation of original burgers and burgers with mushroom addition considering different sexes and body mass indexes (BMIs) of individuals. Thus, 209 Brazilians answered a word association task followed by a word classification based on their importance and valence for original burgers and burgers with the addition of mushrooms. To obtain the structure of social representation, the words were positioned into four distinct zones based on their frequency of elicitation and importance. Also, the polarity index was used to give a connotation to the words. Three groups of consumers were identified. The first group (consumers with class-1 obesity of both sexes) associated the original burger with positive categories (cheese, juicy, seasoned, food, tasty, joy, salad and delicious). The second one (female consumers with pre-obesity and class-1 obesity) associated the burger with the addition of mushrooms with the elements price, different, vegetarian, flavor, gourmet and healthy. Finally, the third group (men and women for both stimuli and with a wide range of BMI) characterized burgers with sensory attributes, feelings and moments of consumption. In conclusion, the social representation of the original burger and the burger with the addition of mushrooms differed among consumers, suggesting that the main associations can be the main motivations for the consumption of a certain product.

Relationship between volatile organic compounds, free amino acids, and sensory profile of smoked bacon.

Flavor is one of the most important characteristics of smoked bacon, strongly affecting its liking by consumers. The smoking process, lipid oxidation and proteolysis contribute to bacon quality through the generation of odors and flavor compounds. In this study, the relationships between free amino acids (FAAs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sensory characteristics of smoked bacon stored for 60 days at 5 °C were investigated. Smoked bacon stored for 30 days was characterized by VOCs associated with the smoking process and lipid oxidation. After 30 days of storage, the bacon samples presented an increase in FAAs produced mainly by proteolysis. Smoked bacon was characterized by the attributes smoky, crunchy, salty, soft and bright. This study demonstrated that VOCs, FAAs and their interactions are responsible for generating sensory attributes and increasing overall liking.

Going beyond sensory and hedonic aspects: A Brazilian study of emotions evoked by beef in different contexts.

For deeper insight into beef consumer experiences during consumption, sensory descriptions seem to be insufficient, and exploration of emotions evoked by this product are required. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the emotions evoked by beef consumption in different contexts. To that end, this work was structured as follows: 1) Emotional vocabulary development; 2) Selection of beef cuts; and 3) Emotional profiling of beef cuts. The emotional vocabulary was useful for characterizing emotions evoked by two beef cuts with different sensory profiles, in different contexts, considering a within-subjects design. Rump cap samples showed the highest liking and were associated with positive emotions, while outside flat samples were less liked and characterized by negative emotions. The evoked context had no effect on hedonic and emotional intensities, but increased the number of emotions elicited by consumers. The correlation of sensory, hedonic and emotional information indicated that tenderness and internal color of beef were correlated with positive emotions and higher liking scores.

Agaricus bisporus mushroom as partial fat replacer improves the sensory quality maintaining the instrumental characteristics of beef burger.

The effect of Agaricus bisporus (AB) mushroom as a fat replacer in beef burgers was evaluated. Four treatments were compared: control (0% AB, 20% fat) and 3 treatments with partial fat replacement: AB 5% (5% AB, 15% fat); AB 10% (10% AB, 10% fat); AB 15% (AB 15%, 5% fat). Mushroom addition increased moisture content and yield and decreased cooking loss and diameter reduction of the burgers. Formulations with the highest AB concentrations were lighter and redder than the control. AB incorporation affected texture, resulting in less hard and less chewy products. In general, lipid oxidation increased during the storage time, however the lowest values were observed in AB 15%, i.e. the lowest fat content and the presence of AB increased the oxidative stability. AB 10% and AB 15% had good overall liking and were sensorially characterized as juicy, tender and flavorsome burgers. The partial replacement of animal fat by AB is a promising strategy for developing a low-fat burger.

Umami Ingredient: Flavor enhancer from shiitake (Lentinula edodes) byproducts.

An alternative use of shiitake stipes, usually treated as waste, was proposed for the production of a powder ingredient, rich in umami compounds, aiming its application in food. The extraction of umami compounds was optimized through the Response Surface Methodology (RSM), in order to obtain an extract with high umami taste intensity. From the optimized condition, a comparative analysis of shiitake stipes dehydration method was performed. Stipes were dehydrated by hot air drying (HD) and freeze drying (FD), submitted to extraction and the umami compounds in the extracts were compared. The comparative analysis showed that the 5' - nucleotides are more sensitive to prolonged heating, while the release of free amino acids (FAA) was favored by hot air drying. The HD samples extract showed higher Equivalent Umami Concentration (EUC). The spray drying of the HD samples extract allowed the production of a newly powder ingredient rich in umami compounds (Umami Ingredient) that can be applied in diverse food matrices. Due to the presence of umami compounds, Umami Ingredient can be a potential alternative to help in the process of sodium reduction by enhancing food flavor.

Sensory and hedonic impact of the replacement of synthetic antioxidant for pink pepper residue extract in chicken burger.

This study aimed to evaluate the sensory and hedonic perceptions of chicken burger manufactured with pink pepper residue extract (PPE) added to the meat and to the chitosan film. Five samples were manufactured: CT: control, without antioxidant; DP and FP: addition of PPE to the meat batter and to the film, respectively; C1 and C2: commercial brands of chicken burgers. Consumers characterized the samples using the overall liking test and Check-all-that-apply questions. The samples showed a medium-high level of acceptance and no significant differences were found between them. DP was the farthest sample from the ideal and FP showed positive results, since its characteristics were like the commercial samples. The direct extract application may lead to a reduction in the liking of chicken burgers, demonstrating that the technology of active films is a viable alternative to the use of natural antioxidant extracts in meat products.

Looking at non-sensory factors underlying consumers' perception of smoked bacon.

Smoked bacon is a food consumed everywhere and previous work has focused on the sensory properties and acceptability of the product. However, little attention has been given to the non-sensory factors that drive sensory and hedonic perception of this product. In this context, the aim of this work was to study the influence of non-sensory factors on consumer behavior towards smoked bacon, using projective mapping coupled with conjoint analysis. Eight visual stimuli were created using a full factorial design with three factors (convenience, healthiness, and context of consumption), at two levels each. Ninety-five consumers positioned the stimuli in a two-dimensional space considering their similarities and differences, and then, rated their expected liking and purchase intention. According to the projective mapping, consumers based the representation of the stimuli on the three factors under study, but conjoint analysis indicated that healthiness was the most important factor, followed by the context of consumption and convenience. The findings of this study may help in the selection of future strategies in the process of food development, in order to launch products with greater chance of success in the market.

Understanding consumers' dynamic sensory perception for bacon smoked with different Brazilian woods.

The aim of the present study was to obtain the dynamic sensory profile of smoked bacon using Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS). Eight samples were studied considering different smoking process: six samples were submitted to conventional smoking using different woods from reforestation and two samples were manufactured with liquid smoke. Seventy-eight regular bacon consumers evaluated the samples using the TDS methodology. TDS data were analyzed based on the sequence (bandplot by attribute and trajectory map) and dominance duration (univariate and multivariate techniques). TDS results showed differences between samples in terms of rate, trajectory and duration of dominant sensations. These differences can be mainly explained by the smoking processes used in their manufacture and by the oral work involved in the mastication task. Overall, TDS was a promising method for capturing temporal sensory changes in smoked bacon.

Descriptive and hedonic sensory perception of Brazilian consumers for smoked bacon.

The descriptive and hedonic sensory perception of bacon manufactured using different smoking processes was studied. Six bacon samples were evaluated: three manufactured with woods, two with liquid smokes, and a commercial bacon. Consumers rated their overall liking (OL) and responded the check-all-that-apply (CATA) questions coupled with ideal profile method (IPM).1 The preliminary result showed that LS2 and Bamboo were the best-rated bacons. However, data analysis indicated two segments of consumers (both n = 50), with significant differences in the OL. The first segment liked fatty and smoked bacons, while the second valued the texture and appearance. The drivers of liking in both segments were the attributes related to texture, juiciness and the smoky aroma. The use of different woods in the bacon smoking process modified the descriptive and hedonic sensory perception of consumers.

Descriptive analysis of bacon smoked with Brazilian woods from reforestation: methodological aspects, statistical analysis, and study of sensory characteristics.

The aim of this study was to perform a descriptive analysis (DA) of bacons smoked with woods from reforestation and liquid smokes in order to investigate their sensory profile. Six samples of bacon were selected: three smoked bacons with different wood species (Eucalyptus citriodora, Acacia mearnsii, and Bambusa vulgaris), two artificially smoked bacon samples (liquid smoke) and one negative control (unsmoked bacon). Additionally, a commercial bacon sample was also evaluated. DA was developed successfully, presenting a good performance in terms of discrimination, consensus and repeatability. The study revealed that the smoking process modified the sensory profile by intensifying the "saltiness" and differentiating the unsmoked from the smoked samples. The results from the current research represent the first methodological development of descriptive analysis of bacon and may be used by food companies and other stakeholders to understand the changes in sensory characteristics of bacon due to traditional smoking process.

Optimization of lipid profile and hardness of low-fat mortadella following a sequential strategy of experimental design.

This study aims to optimize simultaneously the lipid profile and instrumental hardness of low-fat mortadella. For lipid mixture optimization, the overlapping of surface boundaries was used to select the quantities of canola, olive, and fish oils, in order to maximize PUFAs, specifically the long-chain n-3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic-EPA, docosahexaenoic acids-DHA) using the minimum content of fish oil. Increased quantities of canola oil were associated with higher PUFA/SFA ratios. The presence of fish oil, even in small amounts, was effective in improving the nutritional quality of the mixture, showing lower n-6/n-3 ratios and significant levels of EPA and DHA. Thus, the optimal lipid mixture comprised of 20, 30 and 50% fish, olive and canola oils, respectively, which present PUFA/SFA (2.28) and n-6/n-3 (2.30) ratios within the recommendations of a healthy diet. Once the lipid mixture was optimized, components of the pre-emulsion used as fat replacer in the mortadella, such as lipid mixture (LM), sodium alginate (SA), and milk protein concentrate (PC), were studied to optimize hardness and springiness to target ranges of 13-16 N and 0.86-0.87, respectively. Results showed that springiness was not significantly affected by these variables. However, as the concentration of the three components increased, hardness decreased. Through the desirability function, the optimal proportions were 30% LM, 0.5% SA, and 0.5% PC. This study showed that the pre-emulsion decreases hardness of mortadella. In addition, response surface methodology was efficient to model lipid mixture and hardness, resulting in a product with improved texture and lipid quality.

A sensometric approach to the development of mortadella with healthier fats.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the sensory characteristics of mortadellas with different fat contents using Descriptive Analysis (DA) and Check-all-that-apply (CATA) questions and their relationship with overall liking (OL). Five mortadella samples were studied. Sample 1, containing 16% fat. Sample 2 was formulated with 8% fat. Samples 3 and 4 were prepared by replacing 50% fat by a pre-emulsion composed of fish, canola and olive oil. A commercial fat-reduced sample was also studied. The sensory characteristics of the samples were evaluated by DA. Besides, eighty-four consumers evaluated their OL using a 9-point scale and answered the CATA questions. Replacement or reduction of fat caused changes in the sensory characteristics of the samples. Commercial mortadella was the most liked. CATA questions along with penalty analysis and partial least squares regression (PLSR) of dummy variables on the OL helped to identify the attributes to be changed in the mortadella formulations.

Physicochemical, Functional and Antioxidant Properties of Tropical Fruits Co-products.

The aim of this study was to determine the physicochemical, functional and antioxidant properties of mango (MAC), pineapple (PAC) and passion fruit (PFC) co-products in order to evaluate them as ingredients for food application. Proximate composition showed low fat content (0.95-5.64 g/100 g), and high levels of dietary fiber. In pineapple and passion fruit co-products, dietary fiber represented more than 50 % of the sample. Low pH, water activity, along with high acidity indicated that these co-products would not be easily susceptible to deterioration as food ingredients. Pineapple and passion fruit co-products had significant (p < 0.05) water holding capacity (4.96 and 4.31 g water/g sample, respectively), however oil holding capacity was low (1.59-1.85 g oil/g sample) for the three matrices studied. Regarding the phenolic content, values ranged from 3.78 to 4.67 mg gallic acid equivalent/g, with MAC showing the highest content. Through high performance liquid chromatography analysis, six compounds were identified and quantified (gallic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, caffeic acid, epicatechin, and mangiferin) in the fruit co-products. As observed for the phenolic content, the highest antioxidant activity (p < 0.05) was found in MAC when measured by both DPPH and ABTS methods. The results indicated that the fruit co-products under evaluation could be used as functional ingredient to provide dietary fiber and natural antioxidants to food products.

Characterisation and potential application of pineapple pomace in an extruded product for fibre enhancement.

This study characterised pineapple pomace (PP) and evaluated its application in extrusion to enhance fibre content of the final product. The pomace had low fat (0.61%) and high dietary fibre (45.22%), showing its potential for fibre enrichment of nutritionally poor products, as some extruded snacks. Results also showed low microbiological counts, water activity, and pH indicating good microbiological quality and low risk of physicochemical deterioration. During extrusion, pomace (0%, 10.5% and 21%), moisture (14%, 15% and 16%) and temperature (140 and 160°C) were evaluated. The PP addition decreased expansion and luminosity; while increasing redness of the extrudates compared to the control (0% pomace/14% moisture/140°C). When hardness, yellowness, water absorption, and bulk density were compared to the control, there was no effect (p>0.05) of 10.5% PP addition on the extrudates, indicating that, at this level, PP could be added without affecting the properties of the final extruded product.