Dados do Trabalho

Título

SENSORY CHARACTERIZATION OF ICE CREAM ENRICHED WITH PROTEIN CONCENTRATE WITH SUCROSE OR SWEETENER

Introdução

The increase in demand for healthy and/or low-calorie foods has promoted the market. Usually, ice creams have a high sugar and fat content in their formulations, and industries often encounter technological and/or economic difficulties in enriching them nutritionally. Whey proteins can provide the formation of stable foams and increase air incorporation in ice creams, in addition to enhancing nutritional value. Furthermore, sweeteners provide a sweet taste with minimal or no impact on energy content. In this context, the objective of this study was to develop flake-flavored ice cream enriched with whey protein concentrate (WPC), with and without added sugar, and to characterize it sensorially.

Material e Métodos

A control formulation without WPC (F1: with sucrose) and two formulations with 80% WPC (F2 with sucrose and F3 with a blend of sweeteners: allulose and maltitol) were developed. Sensory atributes, including color, brightness, apparent creaminess, presence of ice crystals, aeration, melting, characteristic flake aroma, milk aroma, sweet aroma, characteristic flake ice cream flavor, unpleasant flavor, refreshing sensation, milk flavor, sweet taste, sweet aftertaste, tasty, bitter taste, creaminess, consistency, sandy texture and spreadability, were evaluated by 101 consumers using the Rate-All-That-Apply (RATA) test (3-point scale). The results were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Tukey's test.

Resultados e Discussão

Of the 21 attributes, the formulations did not differ from each other in relation to the characteristic flake aroma (1.93), sweet aroma (1.97), creaminess (1.99), and spreadability (1.93). F3 (with WPC and sweeteners) was characterized with greater intensity in color, presence of ice crystals, aeration, bitter taste, unpleasant taste, sweet aftertaste, and sandy texture; with lower intensity in brightness, melting, milk aroma and taste, refreshing sensation, sweet taste, and consistent.

Conclusão

In this way, the replacement of sucrose with sweeteners promoted changes in the perception of sweet taste and other attributes of flavor, aroma, and appearance. However, the formulations presented moderate to high intensity of the pleasant flavor attribute (2.46), potentially contributing to the acceptance of WPC-enriched and sugar-free ice cream, as an appealing option for consumers seeking healthier alternatives.