Consumer perception of extruded snacks containing brown rice and dried mushroom

Effects of mushroom type, seasoning and health benefit information (HBI) on consumers’ saltiness expectation, sensory liking, elicited emotions and purchase intent (PI) of extruded snacks were investigated. Five snacks were evaluated: straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea) extrudates without (SME) or with seasoning (SMES), phoenix mushroom (Pleurotus pulmonarius) extrudates without (PME) or with seasoning (PMES), and the control without mushroom and seasoning. Hedonic scores and positive emotions were generally higher for seasoned mushroom-containing snacks (SMES and PMES) with 65% and 75.83% of consumers reporting willingness to purchase, respectively, after receiving HBI. Bored, interested and satisfied were identified as significant emotional predictors for PI odds. Flavour, saltiness, overall liking, bored, good and interested were critical attributes, differentiating snacks. This study demonstrated that sensory liking and PI of extruded brown rice-based snacks containing mushroom could be improved through savoury seasoning addition, which also allowed saltiness expectations to be met.     

Effects of pineapple pomace fibre on physicochemical properties of composite flour and dough,and consumer acceptance of fibre‐enriched wheat bread

Pineapple pomace fibre (PF, containing 70.2% total dietary fibre) can be added to increase dietary fibre of wheat bread. This study was performed to evaluate effects of PF added at 0, 5 or 10% (wheat flour‐basis) on physicochemical properties of the composite flour (wheat flour as the control, CPF‐5 and CPF‐10, respectively) and its dough, to evaluate consumer acceptance of CPF breads and to identify factors affecting willingness to purchase of CPF breads. Incorporating PF affected rheological and pasting properties of CPF. Water‐ and oil‐holding capacity of CPF increased (P < 0.05) as PF levels increased. Bread made with CPF‐5 was more acceptable than that with CPF‐10; however, it was not significantly different from the control, having similar specific volume and texture, but having about three times higher total dietary fibre than the control (4.4% vs. 1.5%). Product label and health benefit information potentially affected consumers' willingness to purchase of fibre‐enriched bread.     

Taste perception and purchase intent of oil‐in‐water spreads: effects of oil types and salt (NaCl or KCl) concentrations

Associations of sodium intake with heart‐related problems are creating awareness towards reducing sodium. Potassium chloride (KCl), a substitute for sodium chloride (NaCl), has the disadvantage of imparting bitterness at high concentrations. We evaluated physical characteristics, taste perception and purchase intent of KCl and NaCl in oil‐in‐water spreads/emulsions composed by olive, rice bran and soya bean oils. Consumers (N = 300) evaluated saltiness/bitterness of emulsions prepared with 65% oil, and NaCl (0.5% and 1.0%) or KCl (0.75% and 1.5%). Olive oil spreads (104.07–107.43 Pa s) had higher viscosity compared to other spreads (59.16–74.96 Pa s). Type of oil had significant effects on bitterness, overall taste liking and viscosity. Taste liking decreased due to bitterness of olive oil spreads (mean drop=1.72–2.43). Purchase intent was positively associated with saltiness and pH and increased with oil claims (increase = 1.3%–22.1%) compared to sodium claims (increase = 0.0%–12.9%). These findings are useful for understanding taste perception of emulsions.     

Effects of initial albumen quality and mineral oil–chitosan emulsion coating on internal quality and shelf‐life of eggs during room temperature storage

Effects of mineral oil (MO) and mineral oil–chitosan emulsion (MO:CH = 25:75) as coatings on internal quality and shelf‐life of eggs were evaluated during 5‐week storage at 25 °C. Eggs with three different initial albumen qualities [Haugh unit (HU): H = 87.8, M = 75.6 and L = 70.9] were evaluated. As storage time increased, HU and yolk index values decreased whereas weight loss increased. Coating with MO and/or 25:75 MO:CH emulsion could preserve the internal quality for at least 4 more weeks for H‐eggs and at least 3 more weeks for M and/or L‐eggs, all with weight losses <0.92%. All coated eggs had >70% positive purchase intent, and their colour differences at week 0 could not be detected by naked human eye (ΔE^* < 3.0, noncoated eggs as reference). Consumers significantly differentiated freshly MO‐coated from noncoated eggs on overall surface appearance. This study demonstrated that MO and 25:75 MO:CH emulsion coatings could preserve internal quality and prolong shelf‐life of eggs.     

Preparation and characteristics of squid pen β‐chitin prepared under optimal deproteinisation and demineralisation condition

Squid (Todarodes pacifica) pen was an excellent source of β‐chitin with 25.5% yield. The optimal condition to prepare squid pen β‐chitin was established: deproteinisation with 3% NaOH for 30 min at 15 psi/121 °C and a solid/solvent ratio of 1:10 (w/v) and a subsequent demineralisation with 1 N HCl for 30 min at room temperature and a solid/solvent ratio of 1:10 (w/v). Squid pen β‐chitin contained 6.29% nitrogen, 0.25% ash, and negligible fat with degree of acetylation of 94.02%, residual amino acid of 0.499 g/100 g and bulk density of 0.28 g mL^?1. Depending on its particle size, squid pen β‐chitin visually looked white (L* = 82.82, a* = ?0.67, b* = 6.31; particle size of 0.15–0.18 mm) or light grey (L* = 62.88, a* = 0.33, b* = 10.66; particle size of 0.425–0.841 mm). Water, fat and dye‐binding capacity of squid pen β‐chitin was 694.67%, 194.03% and 79.81%, respectively.     

Mineral oil-chitosan emulsion coatings affect quality and shelf-life of coated eggs during refrigerated and room temperature storage

Effects of mineral oil (MO) and 4 emulsions (prepared with different emulsifier types) of MO and chitosan solution (CH) at a fixed ratio of MO:CH = 25:75 as coating materials in preserving the internal quality of eggs were evaluated during 5 wk at 25 °C and 20 wk at 4 °C. Generally, as storage time increased, Haugh unit and yolk index values decreased whereas weight loss increased. However, MO and/or 4 emulsion coatings minimized the weight loss (<1.5%) and preserved the albumen and yolk quality of eggs (with the final B grade) for at least 3 wk longer than those observed for noncoated eggs at 25 °C. At 4 °C, all coated eggs changed from AA to A grade after 5 wk and they maintained this grade for 10 wk (5 wk longer than that of noncoated eggs). Although refrigeration (4 °C) alone could maintain the B grade of noncoated eggs for up to 20 wk, coating treatments were necessary to keep the weight loss below 2%. Compared with 4 °C, the increasing weight loss showed stronger negative correlation (P < 0.01) with the decreasing Haugh unit (-0.46 to -0.89) and yolk index (-0.36 to -0.89) at 25 °C. The emulsifier type used in this study generally did not affect the internal quality of eggs. Salmonella spp. detection was negative for all coated and noncoated eggs. This study demonstrated that MO and MO:CH emulsion coatings preserved the internal quality, prolonged the shelf-life, and minimized weight loss (<2%) of eggs.     

Oil‐in‐Water Emulsion Exhibits Bitterness‐Suppressing Effects in a Sensory Threshold Study

Little is known about how emulsion characteristics affect saltiness/bitterness perception. Sensory detection and recognition thresholds of NaCl, caffeine, and KCl in aqueous solution compared with oil‐in‐water emulsion systems were evaluated. For emulsions, NaCl, KCl, or caffeine were dissolved in water + emulsifier and mixed with canola oil (20% by weight). Two emulsions were prepared: emulsion 1 (viscosity = 257 cP) and emulsion 2 (viscosity = 59 cP). The forced‐choice ascending concentration series method of limits (ASTM E‐679‐04) was used to determine detection and/or recognition thresholds at 25 °C. Group best estimate threshold (GBET) geometric means were expressed as g/100 mL. Comparing NaCl with KCl, there were no significant differences in detection GBET values for all systems (0.0197 ‐ 0.0354). For saltiness recognition thresholds, KCl GBET values were higher compared with NaCl GBET (0.0822 ‐ 0.1070 compared with 0.0471 ‐ 0.0501). For NaCl and KCl, emulsion 1 and/or emulsion 2 did not significantly affect the saltiness recognition threshold compared with that of the aqueous solution. However, the bitterness recognition thresholds of caffeine and KCl in solution were significantly lower than in the emulsions (0.0242 ‐ 0.0586 compared with 0.0754 ‐ 0.1025). Gender generally had a marginal effect on threshold values. This study showed that, compared with the aqueous solutions, emulsions did not significantly affect the saltiness recognition threshold of NaCl and KCl, but exhibited bitterness‐suppressing effects on KCl and/or caffeine.     

Functional, Nutritional, and Rheological Properties of Protein Powders from Arrowtooth Flounder and their Application in Mayonnaise

ABSTRACT: Arrowtooth flounder soluble protein powder (AFSP) and arrowtooth flounder insoluble protein powder (AFISP) were evaluated for their functional, nutritional, and rheological properties. AFSP and AFISP contained 80% and 79% protein and 5.9% and 14.9% fat, respectively. Yield of AFSP (8.6%) was less than AFISP (13.1%). AFSP and AFISP had desirable essential amino acid and mineral contents. Emulsion stability of AFSP was greater than AFISP. Fat and water absorptions (mL/g protein) were 5.2 and 1.8 for AFSP, respectively, and 3.3 and 4.2 for AFISP Mayonnaises made from AFSP had greater emulsion stability than mayonnaise made from AFISP. Mayonnaises from both AFSP and AFISP possessed pseudoplastic and viscoelastic characteristics.