Snacks are often associated with chips and expanded snack products that generally known for their characteristic texture. These products are normally high in calories with a low content of nutrients and are therefore perceived as unhealthy by many consumers.In addition to their low nutrient content, they might be a source of acrylamide,which has been classified as human carcinogen by the European Food Safety Authority. The growing demand for healthier snack foods has led manufactures to begin experimenting with new processing techniques.  The aim of the study is to evaluate product qualities as affected by two different processing techniques of snack pellets. The more conventional expansion method of deep frying in oilis compared to roasting, using salt as a heat conductor. In order to evaluate the effect of salt-roasting, analyses of salt, fat, water and acrylamide content has been carried out. A sensory triangle test was conducted to determine if there is a difference in texture between snacks expanded using the two processing techniques.  Results indicate that salt-roastingmay have a positive effect by reducing the level of acrylamide in the product. Furthermore, salt-roasting provides a snack pellet with a lower fat content. However, the salt-roasting technique results in a higher salt content in the snack as compared to deep frying. The results from the triangle test shows that there was a significant (p=<0.005) difference between the texture of deep fried and roasted snack pellets. Based on the qualitative commentary of the panelists,  the salt-roasted snack pellets are smaller in size and have a harder and more compact texture compared to the deep fried ones.It is important to point out that results of the study are limited and should only be considered as indications.

The dairy food industry is continuously striving towards products with higher quality and longer shelf-life available to the customer at low prices. Arla Foods in Linköping, Sweden, is currently investigating the possibilities of changing the material in yogurt packaging containers by replacing the currently used carton with a different and cheaper alternative. A successful switch will give the company an economical advantage without affecting the sensory attributes (smell, taste, sight, and consistency), aroma profile or other important trademarks of the yogurt. This study is designed to examine and compare yogurt that has been stored in different packaging cartons, one coated with a single-layered low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and one coated with a currently used multi-layered ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH). The study was based on the analysis and measurement of sensory attributes performed by experts, physical properties in laboratory and chemical composition in GC-FID/MS together with a discriminative test where a group of people would identify any difference between the yogurts. Together, these analyses would provide an explanation about any differences between the packaging materials by connecting physical, chemical and/or sensory characteristics. The collected results would give a better and more comprehensive picture than each analysis would do separately. The results from the study show that there is a difference between yogurts stored in LDPE-based containers and yogurts stored in EVOH-based containers and that the product was chemically affected, mainly by the level of oxygen in contact with the food. The overall assessment is that the largest difference was discovered in the taste.