Chemical and sensory characteristics in the selection of bourbon genotypes

The evaluation of coffee quality in Brazil for commercialization is conducted mainly through sensory analysis, also known as the "cup test", in which professional tasters evaluate and score various attributes. The adoption of chemical methods could complement the sensory classification of beverages, if correlations between these chemical and sensory analyses exist, making classification less subjective. This work aimed to identify the relationships between the chemical and sensorial traits of coffee-beverage quality and to evaluate the use of these traits as criteria for the selection of Bourbon cultivars. Twenty coffee genotypes from the first three harvests across five municipalities of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil were evaluated. The genotypic values, predicted for each genotype, were used to determine the index based on the sum of ranks from Mulamba and Mock. The genetic correlations among the evaluated traits were also estimated. The presented evaluations were not able to efficiently detect genetic and phenotypic relationships between the chemical and sensorial characteristics of drink quality, but as selection criteria for generation advancement in the beverage quality, it is possible to use these characteristics. Bourbon Amarelo LCJ 9-IAC, Bourbon Amarelo-Procafé, Bourbon Amarelo-Boa Vista, Bourbon Vermelho-São João Batista, and Bourbon Amarelo-Samambaia were the genotypes with the most promising cup quality in the studied regions. Through the selection of these five genotypes, the selection gain was 1.65% for sensory score for beverage quality, when the interaction among the studied environments was removed. The heritability was 92% for improving this trait.

Quality Parameters of Wheat Bread with the Addition of Untreated Cheese Whey

Τhe present study was carried out to evaluate wheat bread of three different flour compositions prepared by replacing water with untreated cheese whey (WCB). Bread prepared with water was taken as the control (CB). All breads were stored at 24 ± 1 °C for up to 6 days. Microbiological, physicochemical, and sensory analyses were determined as a function of storage time. WCB had lower total viable counts (TVC) (3.81 log cfu/g for CB and 2.78 log cfu/g for WCB on day 2 of storage) and showed delayed mold growth by 1 day (day 4 for CB and day 5 for WCB). WCB also had lower pH (5.91 for CB and 5.71 for WCB on day 0), higher titratable acidity values (TTA) (2.5–5.2 mL NaOH/10 g for CB and 4.5–6.8 mL NaOH/ 10 g for WCB), and higher protein content (PC) (PC 7.68% for CB and 8.88% for WCB). WCB was characterized by a more intense flavor, reduced hardness but similar cohesiveness, springiness, and adhesiveness compared to CB. Based primarily on sensory (appearance/mold formation) data, the shelf life of WCB was 4–5 days compared to 3–4 days for CB stored at 24 ± 1 °C. The proposed use of whey in bread preparation contributes decisively to the environmentally friendly management of whey.

‘Pinore’: The New Red Wine Variety Cross-Bred between ‘Pinot Noir’ and ‘Regent’ Vines

Renewed interest in varieties that are more tolerant to diseases has emerged, which is mainly due to increased awareness by producers and consumers regarding the impact of phytochemicals in the environment. This paper describes the first Slovenian grapevine variety ‘Pinore’ crossed between the Vitis vinifera L. ‘Pinot Noir’ clone Mf and ‘Regent’ vines. The aim was to create an early ripening grape cultivar that has a good tolerance to biotic stress (e.g., downy and powdery mildew, botrytis) combined with the benefits of established cultivars and their intense wine colors. Some ampelographic characteristics of young shoots, mature leaves, bunches, and berries are presented, and its major agronomic traits, ripening time, grape yield, quality performances, and disease resistance were evaluated over a three-year period (2014–2017). Wine sensory analyses were performed and compared with the international variety ‘Pinot Noir’. The examined genotype showed good agronomic performance and a high wine quality as far as the content of polyphenols is concerned, especially in terms of anthocyanins and tolerance to diseases (Ren3/9 and Rpv3.1); it is significantly different compared to the reference variety ‘Pinot Noir’. In terms of ampelographic characteristics, the main differences are in the number of leaf lobes, the depth of the lateral sinuses, and the content of anthocyanins in its flesh. The investigated genotype has been proposed to the Committee of new varieties in Slovenia for the variety recognition procedure, and completion of the procedure planned for the end of 2023.

An Approach to the Spanish Consumer’s Perception of the Sensory Quality of Environmentally Friendly Seabass

Seabass is one of the leading aquaculture species in Europe. Sensory analysis is essential for new product development. This research focused on establishing and differentiating the opinion of consumers about seabass quality obtained with organic feeding. Fish were fed for 196 days with four treatments (a control diet with 30% fishmeal and three diets with different levels of fishmeal supplemented with organic vegetable ingredients: 25%, 30% and 35%). Experimental diets were compared with commercial samples from the retail industry that were considered as “adequate quality for fish”. Two sensory analyses were carried out, check-all-that-apply (CATA) to obtain feedback on consumers’ characterization towards a different type of fish evaluated and projective mapping (PM) to measure the similarity among a set of products and establish a comparison between results provided by both methods. According to the CATA results, white color, softness, meaty taste and juicy texture were considered relevant attributes, also showing a good relationship with an adequate cooked fish description. A penalty analysis confirmed that the previous characteristics were considered essential while fibrous was an undesirable attribute. The projective mapping showed a similar sensory configuration to the CATA, corroborating these findings that showed that commercial fish were placed in a position away from the rest of the treatments, and the organic diet with a higher level of fishmeal (35%) was the most distant from the control diet.

Use of Mediterranean By-Products to Produce Entire Male Large White Pig: Meat and Fat Quality

A total of 70 male growing non-castrated pigs (Large White), with a 23.07 ± 2.87 kg average body weight (BW), were randomly allocated to three treatments in a 103 day trial: a CONTROL diet and two experimental diets, ALLIUM (5 g/kg of Allium spp. extract) and OLIVE (100 g/kg of olive pulp). Animals were slaughtered at 115 kg live body weight. Meat and fat quality were analyzed. Animals fed ALLIUM and OLIVE had higher water holding capacity (WHC) than those fed the control diet. No significant differences were observed between groups for cooking loss, drip losses and color CIELab. No antioxidant effect was observed on an oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) test. Animals fed OLIVE presented a more unsaturated fatty acid profile than CONTROL and ALLIUM. Meat from ALLIUM group and OLIVE showed her values of brightness and meat odor than CONTROL. Mean scores of sensory analyses (color, odor, flavor and juiciness) of cooked samples were similar for the three treatments, with the meat samples from the ALLIUM and OLIVE treatments being less hard. Consumers did not reflect a preference for any of the treatments. Both by-products could be used for pork production.

Shiitake mycelium fermentation improves digestibility, nutritional value, flavor and functionality of plant proteins

Plant proteins can serve as inexpensive and environmentally friendly meat-replacements. However, poor taste characteristics and relatively low nutritional value prevent their full acceptance as meat substitutes. Fermentation of food has been historically used to improve the quality of foods. In this work we describe the improvement in digestibility, nutritional value, physical properties, and organoleptic characteristics, of a pea and rice protein concentrate blend through fermentation with shiitake mushroom mycelium. Ileal digestibility pig studies show increases in the DIAAS for the shiitake fermented pea and rice protein blend turning the blend into an excellent source of protein for humans. The fermentation also increases the solubility of the protein blend and reduces the content of the antinutrient compounds phytates and protease inhibitor. Mass spectrometry and sensory analyses of fermented protein blend indicates that fermentation leads to a reduction in off-note compounds substantially improving its organoleptic performance.

Yogurt Fortification by the Addition of Microencapsulated Stripped Weakfish (Cynoscion guatucupa) Protein Hydrolysate

The aim of the present work was to fortify yogurt by adding a stripped weakfish (Cynoscion guatucupa) protein hydrolysate obtained with the enzyme Protamex and microencapsulated by spray drying, using maltodextrin (MD) as wall material. The effects on the physicochemical properties, syneresis, texture, viscoelasticity, antioxidant and ACE inhibitory activities of yogurt after 1 and 7 days of storage were evaluated. In addition, microbiological and sensory analyses were performed. Four yogurt formulations were prepared: control yogurt (without additives, YC), yogurt with MD (2.1%, YMD), with the free hydrolysate (1.4%, YH) and the microencapsulated hydrolysate (3.5%, YHEn). Yogurts to which free and microencapsulated hydrolysates were added presented similar characteristics, such as a slight reduction in pH and increased acidity, with a greater tendency to present a yellow color compared with the control yogurt. Moreover, they showed less syneresis, the lowest value being that of YHEn, which also showed a slight increase in cohesiveness and greater rheological stability after one week of storage. All yogurts showed high counts of the microorganisms used as starters. The hydrolysate presence in both forms resulted in yogurts with antioxidant activity and potent ACE-inhibitory activity, which were maintained after 7 days of storage. The incorporation of the hydrolysate in the microencapsulated form presented greater advantages than the direct incorporation, since encapsulation masked the fishy flavor of the hydrolysate, resulting in stable and sensorily acceptable yogurts with antioxidant and ACE inhibitory activities.

Proximate Composition, Phytochemical, Mineral and Sensory Analyses of Moringa oleifera Enriched Bread

Aim/background: The study investigated the effect of Moringa oleifera powder on enriched bread samples produced at various levels. Wheat flour and moringa powder were formulated at different percent ratio (1%, 2%, 3% and 4%) to determine the best enrichment ratio. Methods: Proximate, phytochemical, mineral content and sensory evaluation of the bread samples were determined using bread made from 100% wheat flour which served as control. Results: Result for proximate composition showed a progressive drop (p<0.05) in the fibre content of the enriched bread samples with decreasing level of enrichment. The energy value of the bread samples ranged from 392.73 to 394.32 Kcal. For crude protein, sample with 4% moringa enrichment recorded the high protein content which recorded a value of 12.89 %, which was significantly different (p<0.05) from other samples. The sample with 4% moringa enrichment recorded the highest ash content value of 2.67 % and was significantly different (p<0.05) from the other samples. Result of sensory evaluation using a nine-point Hedonic scale showed that enriched bread samples recorded 5.10 to 7.65 for appearance, 5.45 to 6.85 (aroma), 5.35 to 7.75 (texture), 5.55 to 7.70 (mouth feel) and 5.55 to 7.60 (general acceptability). Conclusion: The enrichment of bread products could be best achieved at moringa levels of 2 % and 4%.

Evaluation of a gluten-free sourdough bakery product

The population of gluten sensitive people has been gradually rising in the last decades. The food industry, especially the bakery industry has to develop more gluten-free products to satisfy the consumer's demand. However, the quality of these products differs from the quality attributes of a standard glutenious bakery product. Therefore, the aim of our research was to develop a good quality gluten-free sourdough product with 3 different gluten-free flours: millet, brown rice and a commercially available mixture (Belbake). We investigated the differences in moisture content, the baking loss, the texture and the sensory properties of the products. According to our results in the case of the moisture content the brown rice sample had the highest, while the millet gave the lowest value. The baking loss measurement gave reverse results. In the texture analysis the brown rice sample was the softest, but the millet and the Belbake had better results in resilience and in springiness. Also, in the sensory analyses the Belbake product was found to be the best by the judges, however, there were no significant differences between them. In conclusion, the product development of a gluten-free sourdough bakery product was successful. Further research is needed to investigate the shelf life of the products.

Palm oil substitution in hazelnut spread

One of the most important components in spreads is the fat phase. The characteristics of the used fat determine most of the quality factors of the products such as viscosity, texture, colour, shelf life, etc. In these kinds of products, the commonly used fat is palm fat, however, in recent years it has had a bad press due to its negative environmental impact and health concerns. Therefore, the aim of our research was to develop a palm oil free hazelnut spread. We investigated the effect of replacing the fat in the fat phase with milk fat or coconut fat to the apparent viscosity, colour and texture properties of the product. According to our results the palm fat had the highest and coconut fat had the lowest viscosity. In texture analyses palm fat and milk fat showed no significant difference in hardness and in work of penetration. Coconut fat was significantly different in every texture attributes from the other samples. In the case of colour measurement all samples were significantly different. Despite the observed differences in some parameters the suitability of milk fat for hazelnut spread production should be further investigated (sensory analyses, shelf-life).