Masters of Science / Department of Food, Nutrition, Dietetics and Health / Edgar Chambers IV / In today’s market, there is a growing demand for high-quality coffee with distinctive sensory characteristics. An example of such coffees is the cold brew which has become quite popular. Despite the increasing prevalence of cold drip/brewed coffee, little-published research exists on the factors that impact the sensory characteristics of cold brew coffee. The objectives of this study were to determine the impact of a) degree of roasting, b) coffee to water ratio (C2WR) and c) brewing methods on cold brew coffee from d) Ugandan coffee beans. Four distinct coffee samples, sourced from different lowland and mountainous regions in Uganda, were roasted and tested using a factorial design that allowed comparison of all main factors (a-d) and their interactions. The samples were evaluated by a highly trained sensory panel based on 42 attributes from a previously published coffee lexicon. Results showed that all aspects studied (Ugandan variety, roast degree, C2WR, and brewing method) had an impact on most of the attributes. For example, Robusta coffees generally had a more bitter taste than Arabica coffees and the Dark roast samples generally were more bitter than the Medium roast coffees. In addition, coffee samples that were brewed using a higher coffee to water ratio (C2WR) generally were more bitter than the coffees that were brewed using a lower C2WR. However, although most of the main effects had a significant impact, their effects were mitigated by their interaction with other factors. For example, Medium roast Robusta that was slow-dripped with a high C2WR had a more bitter taste than the corresponding Arabica samples however when the Medium roast Robusta was steeped with a high C2WR it had a similar bitter intensity with the corresponding Arabica samples. Thus, although major impacts are critical, individual sample combinations must be considered when evaluating coffee samples for their impact on the sensory characteristics.

A carne exerce um papel crucial na evolução humana e é um componente importante em dietas saudáveis e balanceadas, uma vez que apresenta propriedades nutricionais, é fonte de proteína de alto valor biológico e de algumas vitaminas e minerais. No entanto, estudos recentes têm estabelecido uma relação direta entre o consumo de produtos cárneos e o aumento no risco de distúrbios graves de saúde, como câncer colo retal e doenças cardíacas. Assim, o desenvolvimento de produtos cárneos com níveis reduzidos de gordura, que sejam similares aos produtos tradicionais, apresentando boa aceitabilidade pelos consumidores, é essencial para a melhoria da saúde humana. No entanto, poucos trabalhos da literatura tem estudado a incorporação de pré-emulsões como substituto da gordura animal, especialmente em relação às caracteristicas sensoriais. O presente trabalho estudou o efeito da substituição de gordura animal por óleos vegetais e marinhos sobre as propriedades físicas, químicas e sensoriais de mortadela formulada com diferentes hidrocóloides. Na primeira parte do trabalho avaliaram-se as propriedades físicas, químicas e sensoriais da mortadela reformulada usando gordura vegetal hidrogenada como substituto de gordura animal, e foi verificado que o uso da gordura vegetal hidrogenada não é adequado como substituto da gordura animal devido à redução da qualidade nutricional, especificamente do perfil lipídico, e da qualidade sensorial, especificamente da dureza. Após isto, estudou-se a microestrutura, a textura sensorial descritiva e o perfil instrumental de textura da mortadela tradicional e light e, através dos resultados, os parâmetros de dureza e elasticidade foram considerados como referências na seguinte etapa da reformulação. Em seguida, otimizou-se o perfil lipídico e, através de uma estratégia sequencial de planejamento experimental, as proporções adequadas de óleos em préemulsões foram obtidas, assim como a dureza e a elasticidade foram otimizadas, em função da composição da pré-emulsão composta de alginato de sódio, goma guar e isolado proteico de leite. Avaliaram-se, então, as características sensoriais da mortadela e sua relação com a aceitação do consumidor. O atributo direcionador da preferêcia, segundo a correlação entre as respostas da análise descritiva e do teste de aceitação, foi a textura \"borrachenta\", confirmando-se assim que mesmo adicionando um hidrocolóide para diminuir a dureza, esta diminuição resultou em um novo atributo negativo. As perguntas Check- all-that-apply (CATA) juntamente com a Análise de Penalização e a PLSR de variáveis fictícias com a aceitação ajudaram a identificar o \"sabor estranho\", \"sabor caracteristico\", \"textura gelatinosa\" e \"textura firme\" como os principais atributos a serem modificados numa reformulação posterior. Dessa forma, conclui-se que através da estratégia de reformulação planejada, pode-se elaborar uma mortadela com um perfil lipídico em consonância com as recomendações de uma dieta saudável, levando em consideração a opinião do consumidor. / Meat plays a crucial role in human evolution and it is an important component in healthy and balanced diets, since it presents nutritional properties, it is source of proteins of high biological value, and some vitamins, and minerals. However, recent studies have established a direct relationship between the consumption of meat products and the increased risk of serious health disorders, such as colorectal cancer and coronary-heart diseases. Thus, the development of meat products with reduced fat levels that are similar to traditional products and with good consumer acceptability is essential for the improvement of the human health. However, few studies in the literature have studied the incorporation of pre-emulsion as animal fat substitute, especially regarding the sensory characteristics. The present study evaluated the effect of the animal fat substitution by vegetable and marine oils on the physical, chemical, and sensory properties of mortadella formulated with different hydrocolloids. In the first part of the study, the physical, chemical and sensory properties of reformulated mortadella using hydrogenated vegetable fat as animal fat replacer were evaluated and it was verified that the use of hydrogenated fat is not suitable as animal fat replacer due to a reduction in the nutritional quality, specifically regarding the lipid profile, and in the sensory quality, specifically regarding hardness. After this, the microstructure, the descriptive sensory texture and the instrumental profile of the traditional and light mortadella were studied and, through the results, the parameters of hardness and elasticity were considered as references to the next step of the reformulation. Then, the lipid profile was optimized and, through a sequential strategy of experimental design, the appropriate proportions of oils in preemulsions were obtained, as well as the hardness and elasticity were optimized according to the pre-emulsion composition composed of sodium alginate, guar gum and isolated milk protein. The sensory characteristics of the mortadella and their relationship with the consumer acceptance were then evaluated. According to the correlation between the answers of the descriptive analysis and the acceptance test, the driver of liking was the \"rubbery\" texture, thus confirming that, even by adding a hydrocolloid to reduce the hardness, this decrease resulted in a \"new negative attribute\". The questions Check-all-that-apply (CATA), along with the Penalty Analysis and the PLSR of dummy variables with the acceptance helped to identify the \"strange flavor\", \"characteristic flavor,\" \"gelatinous texture\" and \"firm texture\" as the key attributes to be modified at a later reformulation. Thus, it is concluded that, through the planned reformulation strategy, it was possible to develop a mortadella with a lipid profile in agreement with the recommendations of a healthy diet, taking into account the consumer\'s opinion.

High-pressure needleless injection (HPNI) is a process where small-diameter, high-velocity burst of liquid, penetrate foods at pressures ≤ 10,000 psi. The potential of HPNI as an enhancing technique for meat was studied. In study 1, HPNI translocated surface E. coli O157 into the interior of beef eye-of-round subprimals with an incidence of 40 (±7), 25 (±8), and 25 (±8)% for meat that had been surface-inoculated with a four-strain cocktail at 0.5, 1, and 2 log10 CFU/cm2, respectively. Run-off water contained 2, 2, and 3 log10 CFU/ml and was used for HPNI of additional subprimals, which resulted in a cross-contamination incidence of 83 (±4), 60 (±15), and 37 (±6) %, respectively. Incidence of translocation and cross-contamination was similar at all sampled levels below the inoculated surface. Study 1 results indicate that surface microflora will be translocated from the surface into the interior of HPNI-treated beef by the injection fluid and by cross-contamination with recycled fluid. In study 2, E. coli was undetected in cooked steaks (63˚C internal) cut from subprimals inoculated with 2 log10 CFU/cm2 and HPNI processed (study 1). Although cooking reduced E. coli counts, determination of complete kill was not possible because the detection limit for bacterial recovery was about 1 log10 CFU/g. Steaks cut from HPNI-processed subprimals took longer (p <0.05) to reach 63˚C with grilling or broiling, compared to control steaks, possibly due to increased moisture in enhanced steaks. In study 3, sensory acceptance of steaks was evaluated by a consumer panel. Appearance, flavor, and overall acceptance were similar among the untreated control, HPNI steaks, blade tenderized steaks (BT steaks), and steaks cut from subprimals that had been needle-injected with 0.35% (wt/vol) sodium tripolyphosphate using needle injection (NI-subprimal steaks) or HPNI (HPNI-subprimal steaks). Texture of BT steaks (6.5±1.9) was more liked than control steaks (5.8±1.8), while texture was similar for all other comparisons. Conversely, Warner-Bratzler shear force was NI-subprimal steaks < control < HPNI steaks = HPNI-subprimal steaks = BT steaks. Lack of correspondence between texture acceptance data and WBSF suggests that sensory scores were influenced by factors other than the force required for mechanical shear.

The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of fertilizers on chemical composition of raw pumpkins and quality of processed pumpkin products. The material consisted of two Cucurbita maxima 'Stofuntovaja' and 'Bambino' pumpkins cultivar. Pumpkins were grown at the organic pomological garden of the Lithuanian Agricultural University in 2004-2005. The fertilization treatment was: organic-humatic - 30 l ha-1, complex fertilizers (10:10:20 - 500 kg ha-1, compost (mixture of composted manure 70% and plant waste 40%) - 40 t ha-1, complex + organic-humatic fertilizers - 500 kg ha-1 + 30 l ha-1. Biochemical composition and quality of processed pumpkins products (jams, bread and wine) was analyzed. It was determinate better biochemical composition in raw pumpkins grown with complex + organic-humatic fertilizers. Better sensual characteristics had products processed from pumpkins grown with organic-humatic fertilizers.

A carne exerce um papel crucial na evolução humana e é um componente importante em dietas saudáveis e balanceadas, uma vez que apresenta propriedades nutricionais, é fonte de proteína de alto valor biológico e de algumas vitaminas e minerais. No entanto, estudos recentes têm estabelecido uma relação direta entre o consumo de produtos cárneos e o aumento no risco de distúrbios graves de saúde, como câncer colo retal e doenças cardíacas. Assim, o desenvolvimento de produtos cárneos com níveis reduzidos de gordura, que sejam similares aos produtos tradicionais, apresentando boa aceitabilidade pelos consumidores, é essencial para a melhoria da saúde humana. No entanto, poucos trabalhos da literatura tem estudado a incorporação de pré-emulsões como substituto da gordura animal, especialmente em relação às caracteristicas sensoriais. O presente trabalho estudou o efeito da substituição de gordura animal por óleos vegetais e marinhos sobre as propriedades físicas, químicas e sensoriais de mortadela formulada com diferentes hidrocóloides. Na primeira parte do trabalho avaliaram-se as propriedades físicas, químicas e sensoriais da mortadela reformulada usando gordura vegetal hidrogenada como substituto de gordura animal, e foi verificado que o uso da gordura vegetal hidrogenada não é adequado como substituto da gordura animal devido à redução da qualidade nutricional, especificamente do perfil lipídico, e da qualidade sensorial, especificamente da dureza. Após isto, estudou-se a microestrutura, a textura sensorial descritiva e o perfil instrumental de textura da mortadela tradicional e light e, através dos resultados, os parâmetros de dureza e elasticidade foram considerados como referências na seguinte etapa da reformulação. Em seguida, otimizou-se o perfil lipídico e, através de uma estratégia sequencial de planejamento experimental, as proporções adequadas de óleos em préemulsões foram obtidas, assim como a dureza e a elasticidade foram otimizadas, em função da composição da pré-emulsão composta de alginato de sódio, goma guar e isolado proteico de leite. Avaliaram-se, então, as características sensoriais da mortadela e sua relação com a aceitação do consumidor. O atributo direcionador da preferêcia, segundo a correlação entre as respostas da análise descritiva e do teste de aceitação, foi a textura \"borrachenta\", confirmando-se assim que mesmo adicionando um hidrocolóide para diminuir a dureza, esta diminuição resultou em um novo atributo negativo. As perguntas Check- all-that-apply (CATA) juntamente com a Análise de Penalização e a PLSR de variáveis fictícias com a aceitação ajudaram a identificar o \"sabor estranho\", \"sabor caracteristico\", \"textura gelatinosa\" e \"textura firme\" como os principais atributos a serem modificados numa reformulação posterior. Dessa forma, conclui-se que através da estratégia de reformulação planejada, pode-se elaborar uma mortadela com um perfil lipídico em consonância com as recomendações de uma dieta saudável, levando em consideração a opinião do consumidor. / Meat plays a crucial role in human evolution and it is an important component in healthy and balanced diets, since it presents nutritional properties, it is source of proteins of high biological value, and some vitamins, and minerals. However, recent studies have established a direct relationship between the consumption of meat products and the increased risk of serious health disorders, such as colorectal cancer and coronary-heart diseases. Thus, the development of meat products with reduced fat levels that are similar to traditional products and with good consumer acceptability is essential for the improvement of the human health. However, few studies in the literature have studied the incorporation of pre-emulsion as animal fat substitute, especially regarding the sensory characteristics. The present study evaluated the effect of the animal fat substitution by vegetable and marine oils on the physical, chemical, and sensory properties of mortadella formulated with different hydrocolloids. In the first part of the study, the physical, chemical and sensory properties of reformulated mortadella using hydrogenated vegetable fat as animal fat replacer were evaluated and it was verified that the use of hydrogenated fat is not suitable as animal fat replacer due to a reduction in the nutritional quality, specifically regarding the lipid profile, and in the sensory quality, specifically regarding hardness. After this, the microstructure, the descriptive sensory texture and the instrumental profile of the traditional and light mortadella were studied and, through the results, the parameters of hardness and elasticity were considered as references to the next step of the reformulation. Then, the lipid profile was optimized and, through a sequential strategy of experimental design, the appropriate proportions of oils in preemulsions were obtained, as well as the hardness and elasticity were optimized according to the pre-emulsion composition composed of sodium alginate, guar gum and isolated milk protein. The sensory characteristics of the mortadella and their relationship with the consumer acceptance were then evaluated. According to the correlation between the answers of the descriptive analysis and the acceptance test, the driver of liking was the \"rubbery\" texture, thus confirming that, even by adding a hydrocolloid to reduce the hardness, this decrease resulted in a \"new negative attribute\". The questions Check-all-that-apply (CATA), along with the Penalty Analysis and the PLSR of dummy variables with the acceptance helped to identify the \"strange flavor\", \"characteristic flavor,\" \"gelatinous texture\" and \"firm texture\" as the key attributes to be modified at a later reformulation. Thus, it is concluded that, through the planned reformulation strategy, it was possible to develop a mortadella with a lipid profile in agreement with the recommendations of a healthy diet, taking into account the consumer\'s opinion.

The overall aim of this study was to investigate the culinary practices of Basotho with regard to traditional bread, to characterise breads and to apply the cultural hedonic framework to describe consumers’ perceptions about the acceptance of traditional Basotho breads. The culinary practices of Basotho have been transferred from one generation to the other without or with very limited documentation. The only sourced information was a research done by Ashton in 1939. The knowledge of traditional bread preparation and its acceptance by Basotho consumers is currently limited. Food practices are embedded in culture and every culture has specifications pointing to the hedonic characteristics of food such as taste, appearance, flavour and aroma, which are determined by the context in which the food is selected or consumed. It was important to understand the cultural hedonic framework underlying Basotho bread acceptance. The study was exploratory and descriptive in nature. Food acceptance and cultural hedonic framework theories were used to explore the reasons underlying the choice of bread. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative techniques of collecting data in the three phases. Data related to culinary practices was collected by a structured questionnaire and focus groups in phase 1. Phase 2 was the standardisation of recipes obtained in phase 1. The standardised breads were characterised in phase 3 by describing selected physico–chemical and sensory characteristics of dough and breads. The responses to the questionnaire and descriptive sensory evaluation were statistically analysed and the grounded theory approach was used to analyse data from focus groups. Ten Basotho breads prepared from wheat, maize and sorghum were identified in both rural and urban areas of Lesotho. Preparation of traditional Basotho breads involves preparation of grains (washing, sorting, soaking, dehulling, dry milling and wet milling), mixing/kneading, fermentation and cooking. Steaming method is applied to all breads, but baking and pot-roasting are used for wheat breads only. Younger participants were less familiar with maize and sorghum breads than they were with wheat breads. Unfamiliarity with the sensory attributes of these products, contributed to their lower acceptance. The older participants were familiar with all traditional breads and valued them for use in the important Basotho cultural ceremonies. The movement from the rural areas to urban areas has also changed the traditional bread practices to modern westernised ways. This therefore placed Lesotho into both higher and lower cultural hedonic context such that rural and old people are higher context cultures and urban and younger people are lower context cultures. The type of grain flour used influenced the sensory characteristics of breads. Red sorghum breads reflected dark red crumb and white maize breads reflected white crumb. Fine flour produced lighter breads than coarse flour of the same cereal type. Non-wheat breads were more crumbly, hard and fibrous than wheat breads. The instrumental texture analysis showed plastic deformation for wheat breads, brittle deformation for non-wheat breads and elastic deformation for standard breads. It is recommended that more attention be given to the development, standardisation and improvement of traditional bread recipes in order to produce bread with acceptable sensory attributes. The findings of this study help to understand and interpret the overall scope of Basotho attitude towards breads for the maximum utilisation of local grains in Lesotho. The study adds the Basotho perspective of cultural food acceptance to the excisting global knowledge of food choice regarding traditional food products. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lk2014 / Consumer Science / PhD / Unrestricted

When people multi-task with inputs that demand attention, processing, andencoding, sensory interference is possible at almost any level. Multiple Resource Theory (MRT) suggests that such interference may be avoided by drawing from separate pools of resources available when using different sensory channels, memory processes, and even different response modes. Thus, there should be advantages in dividing tasks among different sensory channels to tap independent pools of attentional resources. For example, people are better with two tasks using the eye and ear, than when using two auditory or two visual inputs. The majority of the research on MRT involves visual to auditory comparisons, i.e., the prime distance senses. The unstated implication is that the theory can be easily applied to other sensory systems, such as touch, but this is untested. This overlooks the fact that each sensory system has different characteristics that can influence how information processing is allocated in a multiple-task environment. For example, vision requires a directed gaze that is not required for sound or touch. Testing MRT with touch, not only eliminates competing theories, but helps establish its robustness across the senses. Three experiments compared the senses of touch and hearing to determine if the characteristics of those sensory modalities alter the allocation of processing resources. Specifically, it was hypothesized that differences in sensory characteristics would affect performance on a simple targeting task. All three experiments used auditory shadowing as the dual task load. In the first and third experiments a target was placed to the left or right of the participant and the targeting cue (either tactile, auditory, or combined) used to locate the target originated from the side on which the target was located. The only difference between experiments 1 and 3 was that in experiment 1 the auditory targeting cue was delivered by headphones, while in experiment 3 it was delivered by speakers. Experiment 2 was more difficult both in auditory perception and in processing. In this study the targeting cues came from in front of or behind the participant. Cues coming from in front of the participant meant the target was to the left, and conversely if the cue came from behind it meant that the target was to the right. The results of experiments 1 and 3 showed that when the signals originated from the sides, there was no difference in performance between the auditory and tactile targeting cues, whether by proximal or distal stimulation. However, in experiment 2, the participants were significantly slower to locate the target when using the auditory targeting cue than when using the tactile targeting cue, with nearly twice the losses when dual-tasking. No significant differences were found on performance of the shadowing task across the three experiments. The overall findings support the hypothesis that the characteristics of the sensory system itself influence the allocation of processing resources. For example, the differences in experiment 2 are likely due to front-back reversal, a common problem found with auditory stimuli located in front of or behind, but not with tactile stimuli.

O Brasil é o maior produtor mundial de suco de laranja e os resíduos gerados deste processamento representam sérios problemas ao meio ambiente. No entanto, estes resíduos podem ser considerados como subprodutos da indústria por possuírem elevado teor de fibras, possibilitando sua utilização como ingrediente em alimentos. As fibras podem ser adicionadas como substituto de gordura, resultando em produtos mais saudáveis. Neste sentido, este trabalho visa estudar a possibilidade e viabilidade do aproveitamento dos subprodutos da indústria de sucos de laranja para aplicação em alimentos. As fibras obtidas a partir dos subprodutos de laranja foram adicionadas como substituto de gordura em sorvetes e bolos. Foi realizada a caracterização físico-química e funcional das fibras, sendo também avaliados os compostos fenólicos e carotenoides presentes. As fibras foram submetidas a tratamentos como a hidrodestilação com o objetivo de reduzir o sabor amargo. Análises físico-químicas e sensoriais foram realizadas nos sorvetes e nos bolos. Duas amostras diferentes de fibra de laranja: F1 (casca, bagaço e sementes) e F2 (casca) foram analisadas sendo que ambas apresentaram alto teor de fibra dietética total e uma relação ideal entre fibra solúvel e insolúvel. A F2 apresentou os maiores teores de compostos fenólicos (125 mg/g) e carotenoides (1,21 mg/100 g) quando comparada a fibra F1. Essas fibras quando adicionadas ao sorvete de chocolate reduziram em média 70 % o teor de gordura, sem modificar propriedades sensoriais de cor, odor e textura, porém provocou efeitos negativos sobre o sabor e o sabor residual dos sorvetes. A adição de 1,0 % de fibra da casca de laranja, submetida à hidrodestilação, em sorvete de limão reduziu aproximadamente 50 % o teor de lipídeos das amostras e não modificou o conteúdo de proteína, as propriedades de cor, os valores de pH, os parâmetros de textura e não provocaram mudanças na aceitação dos atributos sensoriais do produto original. A fibra bruta da casca de laranja também pode ser considerada uma boa alternativa como substituto de gordura em bolos. Já que foram obtidas reduções de até 90 % no teor de lipídeos e até 27 % no valor calórico do produto. A adição de 3 % de fibra de laranja, não alterou a formulação do bolo de forma a modificar sua preferência perante os julgadores, mostrando resultados semelhantes em todos os parâmetros sensoriais comparativos ao bolo padrão. / Brazil is the world's largest orange juice producer and the wastes generated by this process represent serious environmental problem, however these residues may be regarded as byproducts of industry because their high fiber content allowing its use as ingredient in foods. Fibers can be added as fat replacer, resulting in healthier products. Thus, this work aimed to study the possibility and viability of orange juice industry byproducts utilization for application in foods. The fibers obtained from the orange juice byproducts were added as fat replacer in ice creams and cakes. The physicochemical and functional characterization of the fibers were performed, and carotenoids and phenolic compounds content were evaluated. The fibers were submitted to treatments such as hydro-distillation aiming to reduce the bitter taste. Chemical, physical and sensory analyses were performed in ice creams and cakes. Two different samples of orange fiber were analyzed: F1 (peel, pulp and seeds) and F2 (peel). Both samples showed high levels of total dietary fiber and an ideal ratio between soluble and insoluble fiber. The F2 showed higher levels of phenolic compounds (125 mg/g) and carotenoids (1.21 mg/100 g) when compared to fiber F1. The use of orange fiber as a fat replacer in ice cream led to a 70 % reduction of fat without causing significant changes on product attributes such as color, odor and texture, however caused negative effects on the taste and aftertaste of ice cream. The addition of 1 % of peel orange fiber, submitted to treatment by hydro-distillation, in lemon ice cream resulted in a mean reduction of approximately 50 % of the samples fat content and did not significantly modified properties as protein content, color properties, pH values, melt rate and texture parameters, and caused no changes in the acceptance attributes of original product. The crude peel orange fiber can be considered a good choice as a fat replacement in cakes, since the results showed 90 % reduction in lipid levels and 27 % in the caloric value of the product. The addition of 3 % orange fiber did not change the cake formulation in order to modify their preference before the judges, showing similar results in all sensory parameters comparable to standard cake.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-23T13:50:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tarcisio Lima Filho.pdf: 3017298 bytes, checksum: 323a194a1095f7495f11bd19ea1013bd (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-07-19 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Recently there have been numerous outbreaks of disease due to consumption of raw or minimally processed fruits and vegetables contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms. Strawberry is a fruit that has presented such contamination and, besides, it has a short shelf life due to fungal rot. Faced with such problems, experts in food preservation have suggested the use of irradiation, a non-thermal preservation method that eliminates insects, pests and pathogens and spoilage microorganisms and delays ripening, budding and aging of fruits and vegetables. Despite being accepted scientifically as a great conservation method and its use being permitted and regulated in many countries, the commercial use of irradiation has been limited by the rejection of consumers. Given this context, the aim of this study was to determine the radiation doses from which begin to occur rejection by the consumer and detection of sensory changes caused by irradiation of strawberry; to investigate the sensory acceptance of irradiated strawberries; the influence of non-sensory characteristics on consumer attitudes; the sensory, physicochemical and microbiological changes caused by irradiation of strawberry; the most important factors of irradiated strawberry packaging to the consumer and the ideal packaging for irradiated strawberry; and the thoughts, behavior and profile of consumers in relation to irradiated food. By preference paired testing in the method of constant stimuli, the dose of 3.6 kGy was determined as the consumer rejection threshold of irradiated strawberry; it was higher than the calculated detection threshold (0.405 kGy). By analyzing microbiological and physico-chemical characteristics it was found that the dose of 3.6 kGy is effective in reducing the microbial load of fungi, mesophilic and coliforms up to 15 days of storage. The results of physicochemical analyzes suggested that irradiation of strawberries do not cause great changes in total titratable acidity, pH, soluble solids and sugars. However, the results also suggested that the irradiated strawberry at 4 kGy may have a higher content of reducing sugars than non-irradiated or irradiated strawberries at lower doses; and that strawberry firmness decreased with the increase of irradiation dose. Paired comparison test for sweet taste showed that the use of higher doses of irradiation (4 kGy) caused greater intensity of perceived sweetness on strawberries. The three sessions of acceptance tests (blind test, test with treatment information given to strawberry and test with information of treatment given to strawberry and a text explaining the irradiation process), of the control strawberry (non-irradiated) and the irradiated strawberry at a dose of 3.6 kGy showed that there is significant difference between the samples in the blind test; treatment information generated negative influence on consumer acceptance and that consumer acceptance of irradiated strawberries at 3.6 kGy increased in the presence of a text with information about the irradiation process, and it did not differ from the acceptance of the control strawberry. The results obtained with the ratings-based conjoint analysis and choice-based conjoint analysis, in which 144 consumers participated, demonstrated that factors additional information and radura symbol (symbol of irradiated food) have great influence on the evaluation of consumers. The factor information of the preservation method showed no significant influence (p < 0.001) in consumer choice. However, for a part of the consumers (n = 8), the presence on the packaging of the information "food treated by ionization process" is primordial to a greater intent to purchase; and packaging containing such information was the one that obtained the highest choice probability. Thus, the ideal packaging for irradiated strawberry must include the information "food treated by ionization process", the additional information "to ensure freshness and quality for longer" and the presence of radura symbol (symbol of irradiated food). Brazilian law determines the presence of the term "irradiation" on the front of the packaging of irradiated products; however this study demonstrated that a part of the population has rejected this term, preferring the term "ionization". By applying a behavioral and sociodemographic questionnaire it was observed that the majority of consumers is neofobic, has little knowledge about the irradiation process, is concerned about the use of this method of preservation and has low purchase intent for irradiated foods. We also verified that consumers that have knowledge about the process of food irradiation tend to buy irradiated foods; and that young people, single, with higher levels of education and higher family income tend to have greater knowledge about the process of food irradiation, and that they are less concerned about the use of this technology and have higher purchase intention for irradiated food. As an overview of this study, it was possible to determine a dose of radiation that will serve as a guideline for producers and industries that market or intend to market irradiated strawberries. Moreover, it was possible to provide information about the thoughts and behaviors of consumers about irradiated food, and that these data will be useful in adopting strategies aimed at increasing the acceptance of irradiated food / Recentemente têm ocorrido inúmeros surtos de doenças devido ao consumo de frutas e hortaliças in natura ou minimamente processadas contaminadas com micro-organismos patogênicos. O morango é uma das frutas que tem apresentado tais contaminações, além de possuir curta vida de prateleira devido à deterioração por fungos. Diante de tais problemas, especialistas em conservação de alimentos têm sugerido a utilização da irradiação, método de conservação não térmico que elimina insetos, pragas e micro-organismos patogênicos e deterioradores e retarda a maturação, brotamento e envelhecimento de frutas e hortaliças. Apesar de ser bem aceito cientificamente como um ótimo método de conservação e sua utilização ser permitida e regulamentada em diversos países, a utilização comercial da irradiação tem sido limitada pela rejeição dos consumidores. Diante deste contexto, objetivou-se, neste estudo, determinar as doses de radiação a partir das quais começam a ocorrer rejeição sensorial pelo consumidor e detecção das alterações sensoriais causadas pela irradiação do morango; investigar a aceitação sensorial por morangos irradiados; a influência de características não sensoriais na atitude dos consumidores; alterações sensoriais, físico-químicas e microbiológicas causadas pela irradiação de morango; os fatores da embalagem de morango irradiado de maior influência na avaliação do consumidor e a embalagem ideal de morango irradiado; e os pensamentos, comportamentos e perfil dos consumidores em relação a alimentos irradiados. Por meio de testes pareado-preferência dentro do método de estímulo constante da metodologia de limiar, determinou-se o limiar de rejeição como sendo a dose de 3,6 kGy para morango, o qual foi bem superior ao limiar de detecção obtido (0,405 kGy). Por meio de análises microbiológicas constatou-se que a dose de 3,6 kGy é efetiva na diminuição da carga microbiana de fungos, mesófilos aeróbios e coliformes totais e termotolerantes até 15 dias de armazenamento. Os resultados das análises físico-químicas sugeriram que a irradiação do morango não causa grandes alterações de acidez titulável total, pH, sólidos solúveis e açúcares totais. Porém, tais resultados também sugeriram que o morango irradiado a 4 kGy pode apresentar maior teor de açúcares redutores do que morangos não irradiado ou irradiados em menores doses; e que a firmeza do morango diminui com o aumento da dose de radiação. Testes pareado-diferença para gosto doce demonstraram que a utilização de maiores doses de radiação (4 kGy) acarretam em morangos com maior intensidade de gosto doce perceptível. A realização de três sessões de testes de aceitação (teste cego, teste com informação do tratamento e teste com informação do tratamento e texto informativo sobre irradiação), entre o morango controle (não irradiado) e o irradiado na dose de 3,6 kGy, demonstrou que ocorreu diferença significativa entre o morango controle e o morango irradiado no teste cego; a informação do tratamento gerou influência negativa na aceitação dos consumidores e, de posse de um texto com informações sobre o processo de irradiação, a aceitação dos consumidores por morango irradiado a 3,6 kGy aumentou e não diferiu da aceitação do morango controle. Os resultados da Análise Conjunta de Fatores (ANCF) e da Análise Conjunta de Fatores Baseada em Escolhas (ANCFE) demonstraram que os fatores informação adicional e símbolo radura (símbolo de alimento irradiado) possuem grande influência na avaliação dos consumidores. Já o fator informação do método de conservação não apresentou influência significativa (p < 0,001) na escolha dos consumidores. Entretanto, para uma parcela de consumidores (n = 8), a presença, na embalagem, da informação de tratamento alimento tratado por processo de ionização é primordial para uma maior intenção de compra do produto; e a embalagem contendo tal informação foi a que obteve maior probabilidade de escolha na ANCFE. Dessa forma, a embalagem ideal para morango irradiado deve apresentar as informações alimento tratado por processo de ionização , para garantir o frescor e a qualidade por mais tempo e a presença do símbolo radura. Vale lembrar que a legislação brasileira determina que o termo irradiação esteja presente na parte frontal da embalagem de produtos irradiados; contudo, foi demonstrado no presente estudo que uma parcela da população possui grande rejeição por este termo, preferindo o termo ionização . Por meio de aplicação de questionário sociodemográfico e comportamental verificou-se que a maioria dos consumidores entrevistados é neofóbica, possui baixo conhecimento sobre o processo de irradiação, está preocupada com a utilização deste método de conservação e possui pequena intenção de compra por alimentos irradiados. Foi verificado, também, que os consumidores que possuem conhecimento sobre o processo de irradiação de alimentos tendem a comprar alimentos irradiados e que pessoas com menor idade, solteiras, com maior grau de instrução e maior renda familiar mensal tendem a ter um maior conhecimento sobre o processo de irradiação de alimentos, menor preocupação quanto a sua utilização e maior intenção de compra por alimentos irradiados. Como uma visão geral deste estudo, foi possível determinar uma dose de radiação que servirá de parâmetro para indústrias ou produtores que irradiam ou pretendem irradiar morangos. Além disso, foi possível fornecer informações sobre os pensamentos e comportamentos dos consumidores sobre alimentos irradiados, dados que serão úteis na adoção de estratégias visando ao aumento da aceitação por alimentos irradiados

O Brasil é o maior produtor mundial de suco de laranja e os resíduos gerados deste processamento representam sérios problemas ao meio ambiente. No entanto, estes resíduos podem ser considerados como subprodutos da indústria por possuírem elevado teor de fibras, possibilitando sua utilização como ingrediente em alimentos. As fibras podem ser adicionadas como substituto de gordura, resultando em produtos mais saudáveis. Neste sentido, este trabalho visa estudar a possibilidade e viabilidade do aproveitamento dos subprodutos da indústria de sucos de laranja para aplicação em alimentos. As fibras obtidas a partir dos subprodutos de laranja foram adicionadas como substituto de gordura em sorvetes e bolos. Foi realizada a caracterização físico-química e funcional das fibras, sendo também avaliados os compostos fenólicos e carotenoides presentes. As fibras foram submetidas a tratamentos como a hidrodestilação com o objetivo de reduzir o sabor amargo. Análises físico-químicas e sensoriais foram realizadas nos sorvetes e nos bolos. Duas amostras diferentes de fibra de laranja: F1 (casca, bagaço e sementes) e F2 (casca) foram analisadas sendo que ambas apresentaram alto teor de fibra dietética total e uma relação ideal entre fibra solúvel e insolúvel. A F2 apresentou os maiores teores de compostos fenólicos (125 mg/g) e carotenoides (1,21 mg/100 g) quando comparada a fibra F1. Essas fibras quando adicionadas ao sorvete de chocolate reduziram em média 70 % o teor de gordura, sem modificar propriedades sensoriais de cor, odor e textura, porém provocou efeitos negativos sobre o sabor e o sabor residual dos sorvetes. A adição de 1,0 % de fibra da casca de laranja, submetida à hidrodestilação, em sorvete de limão reduziu aproximadamente 50 % o teor de lipídeos das amostras e não modificou o conteúdo de proteína, as propriedades de cor, os valores de pH, os parâmetros de textura e não provocaram mudanças na aceitação dos atributos sensoriais do produto original. A fibra bruta da casca de laranja também pode ser considerada uma boa alternativa como substituto de gordura em bolos. Já que foram obtidas reduções de até 90 % no teor de lipídeos e até 27 % no valor calórico do produto. A adição de 3 % de fibra de laranja, não alterou a formulação do bolo de forma a modificar sua preferência perante os julgadores, mostrando resultados semelhantes em todos os parâmetros sensoriais comparativos ao bolo padrão. / Brazil is the world's largest orange juice producer and the wastes generated by this process represent serious environmental problem, however these residues may be regarded as byproducts of industry because their high fiber content allowing its use as ingredient in foods. Fibers can be added as fat replacer, resulting in healthier products. Thus, this work aimed to study the possibility and viability of orange juice industry byproducts utilization for application in foods. The fibers obtained from the orange juice byproducts were added as fat replacer in ice creams and cakes. The physicochemical and functional characterization of the fibers were performed, and carotenoids and phenolic compounds content were evaluated. The fibers were submitted to treatments such as hydro-distillation aiming to reduce the bitter taste. Chemical, physical and sensory analyses were performed in ice creams and cakes. Two different samples of orange fiber were analyzed: F1 (peel, pulp and seeds) and F2 (peel). Both samples showed high levels of total dietary fiber and an ideal ratio between soluble and insoluble fiber. The F2 showed higher levels of phenolic compounds (125 mg/g) and carotenoids (1.21 mg/100 g) when compared to fiber F1. The use of orange fiber as a fat replacer in ice cream led to a 70 % reduction of fat without causing significant changes on product attributes such as color, odor and texture, however caused negative effects on the taste and aftertaste of ice cream. The addition of 1 % of peel orange fiber, submitted to treatment by hydro-distillation, in lemon ice cream resulted in a mean reduction of approximately 50 % of the samples fat content and did not significantly modified properties as protein content, color properties, pH values, melt rate and texture parameters, and caused no changes in the acceptance attributes of original product. The crude peel orange fiber can be considered a good choice as a fat replacement in cakes, since the results showed 90 % reduction in lipid levels and 27 % in the caloric value of the product. The addition of 3 % orange fiber did not change the cake formulation in order to modify their preference before the judges, showing similar results in all sensory parameters comparable to standard cake.