POSSIBILITY FOR A STRAWBERRY JAM SENSORY STANDARD

Use of natural low-methoxyl pectin from sunflower by-products for the formulation of low-sucrose strawberry jams

BACKGROUND

Due to the increasing incidence of obesity and cardiovascular diseases, consumers are demanding products with lower sugar content. In this sense, the reformulation of traditional foods with improved, safe and tasty ingredients is arousing a huge interest. Jams are conventionally produced with elevated amounts of sucrose, which increase the glycaemic index and must be avoided in certain kinds of consumers.

RESULTS

This paper describes for the first time the elaboration of strawberry jams using low-methoxyl pectins from sunflower by-products, which allowed the addition of low amounts of sucrose (10-30%). These jams were compared with best-selling commercial samples. An in-depth physicochemical, compositional, sensorial and rheological characterization was carried out. The obtained jams were safe considering a_w and pH values; samples presented enough acidity to avoid microorganism development and syneresis. The stabilizing role of sunflower pectin is noteworthy in terms of colour and other physicochemical characteristics. The organoleptic analysis showed that the taste and sweetness of laboratory samples were highly valued, although the presence of pieces of fruits was disliked some panellists. After knowing the content of added sugar used in each jam, the tasters preferred samples with 20% and 30% of sucrose over commercial samples.

CONCLUSIONS

The results show the usefulness of sunflower pectin for the elaboration of jams of low glycaemic index. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Influence of physical properties on the taste and flavor of strawberry jam

This study investigated the influence of the type and concentration of pectin on the sensory attributes and physical properties of a model strawberry jam. The methods used for the sensory evaluation and determination of physical characteristics that affect human taste and flavor perception are outlined. Increasing pectin concentration altered the solid (elastic) properties of the model strawberry jam. Each sensory attribute showed high correlation with various physical properties as determined by viscosity measurements. These results allowed us to predict the human oral cavity conditions during taste and flavor perception. From this study, it is clear that humans assess the physical properties of foods by the tongue movements and adjustments in the oral cavity conditions according to the taste and flavor characteristics.

Physico-chemical and sensory properties of marmalades made from mixtures of fruits and under-exploited Andean tubers

BACKGROUND

This work studies the added value to the Andean tuber crops through the production of jams. The objective were: (1) to study the sensory and instrumental characteristics of dietetic marmalades made with fruits and Andean tubers; (2) to research consumer's acceptability and emotional responses; (3) to assess the relationship between sensory and instrumental variables and (4) to determine sensory, instrumental and emotional variables that influence the acceptability.

RESULTS

Pearson's correlations showed that spreadability was the variable better predicted by sensory and instrumental ones. The analysis of variance showed that sourness increased with the increase of strawberry and the decrease of apple contents (P < 0.05). The acceptability increased when the strawberry proportion was higher. The sweetness-sourness balance drove the hedonic response and some emotions changed from one feeling to its corresponding opposite when the strawberry proportion reached 50 or 60. According to a partial least square 2 and a principal components analysis of sensory/acceptability/emotion data, 'typical', 'autochthonous', 'urban' and 'present' resulted in positive emotions which favored the consumer liking.

CONCLUSION

Formulating marmalades with mixtures of fruits and Andean tubers will allow giving value-added to these crops. The elaboration of products using innovative raw materials will be an incentive for farmers to cultivate them. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Descriptive analysis of flavor characteristics for black walnut cultivars

Seven black walnut cultivars, Brown Nugget, Davidson, Emma K, Football, Sparks 127, Sparrow, and Tomboy, were evaluated by descriptive sensory analysis. Seven trained panelists developed a lexicon for the black walnuts and scored the intensities of the samples for 22 flavor attributes. Results showed that the 7 samples differed significantly (P ≤ 0.05) on 13 of the attributes. For the majority of the attributes, only Emma K differed from the rest of the cultivars by being characterized with lower scores for black walnut ID, overall nutty, nutty-grain-like, nutty-buttery, floral/fruity, oily, and overall sweet. That sample also was higher in acrid, burnt, fruity-dark, musty/earthy, rancid, and bitter attributes. The remaining 6 cultivars showed few differences in individual attribute ratings, but did show some differences when mapped using multivariate techniques. Future studies should include descriptive analysis of other black walnut varieties, both wild and commercial, that could be grown and harvested for production.