Chocolate is a food that is craved by many in the world and healthy chocolates have become a current topic in the healthy eating trend. The healthiness of a chocolate depends mainly on the polyphenol, fat and sugar contents. Although the literature serves several interventions to reduce the fat content and total calorie content of chocolates, it does not provide many interventions that consider both improving the polyphenol and reducing the fat content simultaneously. Considering this gap in the literature, this research project sought to develop a chocolate that is both low in fat and high in polyphenol content, without sacrificing the taste that consumers would expect in a good dark chocolate. The research resulted in three chocolate formulas that consists of 60% cocoa and 30% fat (formula A, formula B and formula C). They differed from each other in the polyphenol content due to the changes in the cocoa powder type and the presence or absence of freeze-dried blueberry powder. Formula A and formula B mainly differed in the percentage of each type of cocoa powder, both alkalized and non- alkalized. Formula C differed from the other two formulas because there was no freeze-dried blueberry powder. The resulted chocolates were evaluated for the sensory characteristics using paired preference tests and consumer-oriented attribute diagnostic tests (color, flavor, melting properties, overall preference, likelihood to buy). They were analyzed for polyphenol content using Folin-Ciocalteu assay. The chocolates were compared with a well-established commercial chocolate (formula D) of a 60% cocoa. Sensory evaluation tests revealed that formula C was superior and comparable to the commercial chocolate D in all the tested attributes except for color. Polyphenol analysis confirmed that all three developed formulas had a higher polyphenol estimate than formula D. Consumers preferred to buy each chocolate type regardless of the differences in their preference for the other attributes, if the chocolates were known to be healthier. Formula C was found to be the best prototype formula among the developed formulas and it can further be developed to enhance the color and other attributes in future work.

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This diploma thesis is focused on the evaluation of processed sliced products (cheese and analogues). For this purpose, was carried out sensory analysis of these products, a serial test and a questionnaire. Evaluation carried out a total of 65 assessors - 23 men and 42 women. The analysis of ranking showed that in the group of assessors was best evaluated processed wafer product (analogue) (average rank of 2,6) and processed sliced cheese (average rank of 2,7). For sensory analysis was found a significant role of fat on the dry basis of the product and the presence of added substances (extract from peppers, Emmental) on the perception of assessors. The survey was focused on the preference of the attractiveness of packaging of selected processed cheese slices and sliced processed products, furthermore focused on understanding the concept of the analogue product. Assessors have demonstrated their knowledge of the concept of analogue product only in 14% of cases.

O controle ambiental nas instalações pecuárias é um fator importante a ser levado em consideração para promover o bem-estar e otimizar a produção animal. Como o clima brasileiro é predominantemente tropical, sistemas de resfriamento são essenciais em instalações pecuárias em todo o país. Diferentes sistemas de resfriamento estão disponíveis no mercado brasileiro e, apesar de possuírem o mesmo objetivo, de atenuar a temperatura dentro do galpão, podem ser percebidos pelos animais de modos diferentes. O objetivo principal deste trabalho foi avaliar a percepção de suínos através de sua preferência em relação a diferentes sistemas de resfriamento do ambiente em uma câmara de preferência ambiental. Esta avaliação foi feita por meio do teste de preferência, que consiste em fornecer alternativas entre diferentes situações ou recursos, para que os animais transmitam suas respostas. Para tanto, foi utilizada uma câmara de preferência ambiental composta por quatro compartimentos interligados entre si por uma área neutra. Cada compartimento teve seu ambiente controlado independentemente, podendo assim fornecer, quatro diferentes tipos de sistemas de resfriamento: nebulização associada à ventilação forçada, ventilação forçada, aspersão e aspersão associada a ventilação forçada. Nesse estudo de preferência, dois grupos principais de suínos foram utilizados: os suínos-teste e os suínos-companhia. Os suínos-teste foram os animais com livre acesso aos distintos compartimentos da câmara e os suínos-companhia, por sua vez, ficaram confinados em seus respectivos sistemas. Para caracterização do ambiente no interior e no exterior da câmara, foram utilizados data-loggers para coleta das variáveis: temperatura ambiental, umidade relativa, temperatura de globo negro e ponto de orvalho; para determinação dos índices de conforto térmico: índice de temperatura de globo e umidade e entalpia. Também foi coletada a velocidade do ar com anemômetro digital. Foram verificadas medidas fisiológicas: frequência respiratória e temperatura de superfície corporal na região da nuca no horário das 14 horas. Para analisar o desempenho dos animais foi avaliado ganho de peso diário e conversão alimentar, além das medidas in vivo de espessura de toucinho, rendimento de carne magra e profundidade da área do lombo. Para avaliação do teste de preferência foram considerados dias que caracterizassem condições climáticas em que os sistemas de resfriamento estivessem em operação. Para isto vídeos coletaram e registraram as imagens e estas foram analisadas automaticamente e interpretadas como preferência por (ou rejeição de) certos ambientes através de frequência e tempo do suíno-teste em cada um dos ambientes. A câmara conseguiu atender os valores recomendados para o índice de temperatura de globo e umidade, temperatura ambiental e umidade relativa ao longo dos períodos do dia, os valores obtidos para entalpia estiveram acima do recomendado na literatura. Porém o desempenho da câmara foi satisfatório, uma vez que as medidas fisiológicas de frequência respiratória e temperatura superficial, e as variáveis de desempenho indicaram que os animais estavam em conforto térmico e obtiveram medidas de espessura de toucinho, rendimento de carne magra e profundidade da área do lombo característicos para a categoria. Em relação à preferência dos suínos-teste, observou-se a maior frequência de permanência nos sistemas de aspersão (40%) e aspersão associada à ventilação forçada (34,7%). Assim os resultados obtidos validaram o uso da câmara de preferência ambiental para experimentação com suínos a fim de verificar sua preferência em relação a diferentes ambientes térmicos com diferentes sistemas de resfriamento. / Environmental control in livestock buildings is an important factor to be taken into account to promote the welfare and optimize the animal production. As the Brazilian climate is predominantly tropical, cooling systems are essential in animal facilities across the country. Different cooling systems are available in the Brazilian market and, despite having the same goal, to mitigate the temperature inside the shed, they can be perceived by the animals in different ways. The aim of this study was to evaluate the perception of pigs through their preference in relation to the different environment of the cooling systems in an environmental preference chamber. This assessment was made by the preference test, which is to provide alternatives between different situations or resources, so that the animals transmit their responses. An environmental preference chamber was used, and consisted of four compartments connected to each other by a neutral area. Each compartment has its environmental conditions controlled independently, and may thus provide four different types of cooling system: nebulizer associated to forced ventilation, forced ventilation, sprinkler and sprinkler associated to forced ventilation. In this preference study, two main groups of pigs were used: the test-pigs and companion-pigs. The test-pigs were the animals with free access to the chamber and companion-pigs, in turn, were confined in their respective systems. To characterize the environment inside and outside the chamber, data-loggers were used to collect the variables: ambient temperature, relative humidity, black globe temperature and dew point; to determine the levels of index thermal comfort: globe temperature and humidity index and enthalpy. The air speed with digital anemometer also was collected. Physiological measures were also registered: respiratory rate and body surface temperature in the neck region in the schedule at 2pm. Daily gain and feed conversion were evaluated to analyze the performance of the animals in addition to the measures in vivo backfat thickness, lean yield and depth of loin area. The preference test considered days that characterize climatic conditions in which the cooling systems were in operation. The video images were collected and recorded and they were automatically analyzed and interpreted as a preference (or rejection) of certain environments through the frequency and time that test-pig in each environment. The environmental preference chamber conditions attended the recommended values for globe temperature and humidity index, ambient temperature and relative humidity over the periods of the day, and the values obtained for enthalpy were slightly above the recommended literature. The chamber performance was satisfactory since the physiological measures respiratory rate and body surface temperature and the performance variables indicated that the animals were in thermal comfort and obtained backfat thickness, lean yield and depth of loin area measures, characteristic for the category. Regarding the preference of the test-pigs, the highest frequency was observed in sprinkler (40%) and sprinkler associated to forced ventilation (34,7%) systems. Thus the results validated the use of the environmental preference chamber for experimentation with pigs in order to verify their perception to different thermal environments with different cooling systems.

This diploma thesis deals with sensoric analysis of the selected types of durable meat products depending on the production technology. By sensoric assessment and subsequent statistic analysis, this diploma thesis pursues to compare fermented durable meat products, made without added starting cultures, with fermented durable meat products, made with added starting cultures, and to determine which of these kinds of products are preferred by the evaluators as well as the consumers. The theoretical part of this thesis summarises the conclusions arising from the sensoric analysis of the food, including its conditions and statistical evaluation, sense perception generally and the technology of the production of fermented durable meat products. In the practical part, the applied method and results of the performed twin preference test are described. Samples of the durable meat products of the major domestic producer of the durable meat products, commonly distributed and accessible in the trade network of the Czech Republic, were used for the purpose of evaluation.