Sensory-Related Industrial Additives in the US Packaged Food Supply

Background: Increasing evidence suggests that ultra-processed foods (UPFs) lead to elevated risk of obesity-related conditions, but UPF measurement has been criticized for its subjectivity and lack of clarity on biological mechanism. Sensory-related industrial additives (SRIAs) are a defining feature of UPFs and may encourage overconsumption by enhancing the sensory quality of foods. However, practical challenges have prevented systematic incorporation of SRIAs into UPF measurement.Objective: The objectives of this work were to describe a new, open-source ingredient list search method and to apply this method to describe the presence of SRIAs in US packaged foods.Methods: We developed computer coding to search for 64 common SRIAs related to sweetness, flavor, appearance, and texture in 241,688 foods in the US Branded Food Products Database (BFPD). The BFPD includes manufacturer-provided ingredient lists for ~300,000 branded and private label food items. We determined the total number of SRIAs (0–64) and the number of different types of SRIAs (sweetness, flavor, appearance, texture, 0–4) in each food, then calculated the percent of all foods with SRIAs. This was done for all foods, and by food group for 224,098 items with food group data.Results: Most (64.9%) foods in the BFPD contained at least one SRIA, and more than a third had at least three. Sweets (89.5%), beverages (84.9%), and ready-to-eat (RTE) foods (82.0%) were the most likely to contain SRIAs. With respect to SRIA types, 25.7% of all food items had at least three of the four types of SRIAs examined, with texture-related additives being the most common. Among sweets, 20% had all four types of SRIAs.Discussion: This work confirms the high prevalence of SRIAs in US packaged foods. They are ubiquitous in sweets, beverages, and RTE foods, but also present in substantial proportions of other food groups. Quantifying the presence of SRIAs in ingredient lists offers a novel way to identify UPFs for research; to distinguish more vs. less ultra-processed foods; and to test whether UPFs increase risk for obesity-related conditions through additives that enhance the product's sensory qualities.

Effects of different drying methods and packaging materials on the physical and sensory qualities of tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum L.)

Fresh tomato fruits have a very limited shelf life partly due to their high moisture content and respiration rate. A possible way of storing tomato fruits is to dry and process them into powder or paste. Therefore, this research was conducted to determine the effects of drying methods and packaging materials on physical and sensory qualities of powdered tomato in Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria. Harvested fruits of tomato variety, “Rio de grande” were subjected to blanching and subsequent drying methods and packaging materials. The experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD); with the drying methods placed in main plot while the packaging materials in sub-plot and repeated three times before storage for twelve weeks. At four weeks of storage, oven drying method was found to be statistically different (p≤0.05) in terms of water absorption capacity value of 3.19 (mg/100g). The glass jars performed better than polythene bags in color retention, taste and consistency at four weeks of storage. The study shows that tomato fruits can be successfully dried using oven, sun and shade drying methods but preferably oven drying method. The processed powder could be successfully stored for 12 weeks or above using either glass jars or plastic container without affecting the consumer appeal and this will also reduce the postharvest losses of tomato fruits.

Fortification of cassava starch with coconut residue: effects on flours’ functional properties and products’ (Tapioca meals) nutritional and sensory qualities

Consumers are show interest in plant-based by-products due to their potential health-promoting properties. Coconut residue is food waste from coconut milk that is potentially rich in bioactive compounds, protein and dietary fibre. The effects of substituting cassava starch with coconut residue on the functional properties (bulk density, water absorption and swelling indexes), proximate composition, the energy value of flour, and sensory characteristics of tapioca grit's meal were studied. Cassava starch was mixed with coconut residue powder in five formulations that had 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40% of coconut residue powder, before being made into tapioca grits. The results showed that the bulk density, water absorption and swelling indexes decreased, whilst protein increased with the increasing addition of coconut residue. The colour of tapioca meals did not have any pronounced change in colour due to added coconut residue. Sensory results showed that tapioca samples fortified with 30% coconut residue was the most preferred with ranking in terms of aroma (8.7), overall acceptability (8.7) and willingness to buy (8.6) compared to other samples. Fortifying cassava starch with food waste like coconut residue improved the protein and fibre contents, and enhanced value addition and food product (tapioca meal) sensory quality.

Effect of Antibacterial Peptide Microsphere Coating on the Microbial and Physicochemical Characteristics of Tricholoma matsutake during Cold Storage

The effect of novel antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and antimicrobial peptide microspheres (AMS) on the physicochemical and microbial quality of Tricholoma matsutake wild edible mushrooms was investigated. In the experiments, 1.0 g/L, 0.5 g/L of AMS, and 1.0 g/L AMPs were used as preservatives. Mushrooms coated with 1.0 g/L and 0.5 g/L of AMS as a preservative had better physicochemical and sensory qualities than did mushrooms coated with 1.0 g/L of AMPs. In the experiment, 1.0 g/L of blank microspheres without cathelicidin-BF-30 (PLGA-1.0) and distilled water was used as the control. Samples with these two treatments had minimal changes in texture, weight loss, total bacteria count, and sensory attributes. Research results suggests that the use of AMS can maintain the quality of Tricholoma matsutake wild edible mushrooms and could extend the postharvest life to 20 d.

Physical, nutritional, textural and sensory qualities of Turkish noodles produced with siyez wheat (Triticum monococcum), kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) and chia seed (Salvia hispanica L.)

In this study, physical (cooking time, water ab-sorption, cooking loss and color), chemical (proximate composition, pH, total phe-nolic content, mineral mat-ter (Ca, K, Fe, Mg and Zn)), textural (hardness and adhe-siveness) and sensory (col-or, taste, flavor, appearance, hardness, adhesiveness and overall acceptability) attrib-utes were determined in dif-ferent types of noodles pro-duced from siyez wheat flour, kale powder and chia seed mucilage. Results were statistically evaluated using SAS software. The optimal cooking time for the noo-dles were 20 min and cook-ing loss varied between 8.36-12.22%. Kale powder and chia mucilage addition decreased L* and a* values of the noodles. Ash, crude fiber, mineral matter and total phenolic contents of the noodles were higher and fat contents of the noodles were lower than the control sample. Hardness and adhe-siveness of the noodles were decreased by addition of the kale powder at 10%. The noodles with higher hard-ness and lower adhesiveness were preferred by the panel-ists in sensory evaluation. Increasing the kale powder level in the noodle formula-tion from 5% to 10% result-ed in higher color scores. However, the control sam-ple was the most preferred sample in terms of taste.

Comparative Study of Sensory Attributes of Leafy Green Vegetables Grown Under Organic and Conventional Management

This study was carried out to compare the sensory qualities of leafy green vegetables (collard, kale, lettuce and swiss chard) grown under organic and conventional production systems. Four leafy greens were produced on an organically and conventionally managed research farm of Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN in Spring 2019 and 2020. Crops in a conventional field were grown in the open field, whereas in organic field crops were grown in the open and under three different row covers (agribon cloth, insect net and plastic). Row covers in organic systems were used to protect crops from insect damage. Plant samples were collected from all the treatments and evaluated for sensory qualities including color, texture, taste, odor and flavor following two approaches i.e., instrumental and via consumer panel perception. Consumer panel perception results showed minor differences in the sensory qualities between organic and inorganically produced leafy greens. Instrumental methods showed no differences in color parameters of kale, lettuce and swiss chard grown under organic and conventional production systems. In collard, the lightness (L*), b* (yellow-blue axis), brightness (Y) and chroma (C) values were higher in conventional, while hue angle was higher in organic (open). There were no differences in instrumental textural values of organically and conventionally grown leafy greens. Among row covers, the textural value of collard and kale was higher in open relative to row covers. The content of main quality contributors 1-Hexanol was higher in conventionally grown collard compared to organic (open). Aldehyde compound was higher in organically grown kale and trans-hex-2-enyl-acetate (Ester) compound was higher in conventionally grown kale. Monoterpenes were higher in organic lettuce and ketones were higher in conventionally grown lettuce. Overall, there were not many differences in the sensory qualities of leafy greens grown under organic and conventional production systems. Further comparative studies between organic and conventional systems on sensory qualities of leafy greens are needed.

Effect of different thawing methods on quality properties of stuffed pasta (manti)

Stuffed pasta or ‘manti’ is a traditional food consumed fondly in Turkey. For consumption, it is produced as fresh, frozen or dried manti. Frozen manti is cooked directly without thawing. The present study investigated the effects of different thawing processes on physicochemical properties and sensory qualities of frozen stuffed pasta (manti). The following five thawing processes were used individually: (1) infrared, (2) microwave (3) infrared-assisted microwave, (4) dry hot air and (5) running water thawing. The storing temperatures of manti found in the market were 10°C and 24.5°C. Consequently, manti samples were thawed up to these temperatures. It was determined that the shortest thawing period (20 sec) was that of infrared-assisted microwave process. The longest process was dry hot-air thawing (420 sec) in manti samples that were thawed until refrigerator (+4°C) and room temperatures (24.5°C). Thawing methods did not change pH, moisture values and weight gain (p > 0.05). It was found that sensory qualities and amount of dry matter passing into the water of samples were different (p < 0.05). It was concluded that thawing was necessary for frozen manti, and the best method was microwave thawing.

Effect of addition of Tunisian Zizyphus lotus L. Fruits on nutritional and sensory qualities of cookies

Zizyphus lotus, which belongs to Rhamnaceae family, has been widely used to formulate many healthy food products. The aim of this work was to formulate new functional cookies enriched with different amounts of Zizyphus lotus powder (ZLP; 15%, 30%, 45% and 100%). The chemical properties of ZLP were also determined. The formulated cookies were evaluated for their physicochemical, textural and sensory characteristics. Results revealed that ZLP contained various bioactive components, fatty acids, and antioxidants. ZLP-added cookies demonstrated higher phytochemical and antioxidant activities than control cookies prepared without ZLP. The activity of ZLP cookies was enhanced with increase of ZLP level. Hardness and fracturability (brittleness) of cookies increased with increasing amount of ZLP. Results of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis also revealed the presence of many bioactive compounds in formulated cookies. All cookie samples were generally accepted, but the panelists indicated a higher preference for cookies containing 15% ZLP.

Pemetaan Atribut Sensori Kopi Kobura Berdasarkan Perbedaan Cara Panen dan Pengolahan di Tingkat Petani

<p><em>In general, Kobura coffee farmers in South Ogan Komering Ulu (OKU) harvest coffee with the criteria of red fruit and a mixture of red and green, while the processing method is a dry process. However, the sensory attributes of these activities are not yet known. This study aims to map the sensory qualities of Kobura coffee at the farmer level based on differences in harvesting and processing methods. The research was carried out in Banding Agung District, South OKU Regency, and the Coffee and Cocoa Bioindustry Laboratory, Balittri, Sukabumi, from March to December 2019. The design used was a completely randomized design with 3 treatment factors and two replications. The first factor was three clones of Kobura coffee (Kobura 1, 2, 3), the second factor was two harvesting methods (red and mix of red + green fruit), and the third factor is two processing methods (dry and wet). The variable observed were the sensory attributes analyzed by multivariate analysis of variance, principal component analysis, cluster analysis, and path analysis. The results showed that the harvesting and processing methods of Kobura coffee at the farmer level in South OKU did not significantly affect the sensory. Furthermore, each cluster's harvesting and processing methods were evenly distributed because the proportion between red and green fruit was not clearly identified in the mixed fruit harvest. Superior genetic and optimal altitude factors make Kobura coffee categorized into Fine Robusta with a final score of 81.13-85.75. The final score is directly and dominantly influenced by mouthfeel (body), flavor, overall, and fragrance, respectively.</em></p>