Instrumental analysis, sensory analysis and consumer acceptance of strained yogurt in frozen desserts

Abstract

There is a surging demand from consumers for healthier products that are lower in calories but maintain their original flavor and texture. Many countries around the world have worked to develop new techniques to improve our food supply and food products, including the utilization of functional foods and nutraceuticals. Utilizing Greek style yogurt (GSY) as a functional ingredient in frozen desserts will be a unique approach to enhancing the texture and flavor of frozen yogurts without sacrificing consumer acceptance. The objective of this study was to investigate various formulations of set yogurt and GSY with an ice cream mix in order to assess the physico-chemical effects and organic acid and carbohydrate changes. The second objective was to assess these formulations from a sensory perspective, with a combination of descriptive analysis and consumer acceptance to determine which treatments were preferred in relation to a control ice cream. Another objective was to investigate various statistical techniques that link the Overall Liking attribute among the treatments with the measured sensory and non-sensory based attributes. A one-way ANOVA analysis with orthogonal contrasts found that that despite the lack of significant differences among macronutrients (e.g., protein, fat, and carbohydrates), significant differences could be observed among pH, titratable acidity, hardness, gumminess, chewiness, particle size and flow behavior at small changes in the frozen dessert formulation. Treatments containing higher yogurt concentrations, especially those with Greek yogurt, were significantly different than the treatments with lower concentrations of yogurt.