PREPARATION, NUTRITIONAL AND SENSORY ANALYSIS OF PEANUT BUTTER FLAVORED WITH MOZZARELLA CHEESE

Abstract

Peanuts are one of the foods that are closely linked to the Brazilian Northeastern culture. The consumption of this legume ranges from the seed in its natural state, roasted and salted, to sweets (such as the traditional Northeastern paçoca), as well as derivative products that contain peanuts in their formulation. However, there is still the possibility of adding value and innovation using peanuts, since the food industry is always looking for innovative and healthier products. Accordingly, peanut butter is an excellent alternative, since it is a peanut-based product that is well accepted by a large part of the population and is consumed by all social classes and age groups, in addition to being a food that is very rich in nutritional aspects. Peanut butter can also be supplemented with other foods, in order to increase its nutritional and sensory values. With this in mind, using cheese as an alternative to supplement peanut butter is a viable option, since it is a food that is highly appreciated by the Brazilian population due to its sensory and nutritional characteristics. In this sense, the present study aims to prepare peanut butter with cheese using the following ingredients: peanuts, mozzarella cheese, vegetable oil and salt. The nutritional composition and sensory evaluation of the peanut butter enriched with mozzarella cheese were analyzed in order to determine the public's acceptance and purchase intention. In this study, five peanut butter formulations were prepared, varying respectively from 0, 10, 15, 20 and 25% of mozzarella cheese. It was observed that the greater the amount of mozzarella cheese added to the peanut butter, the less energy the product produced. According to the results obtained, it is possible to conclude that the peanut butters enriched with mozzarella cheese did not reach the minimum result in relation to all the parameters analyzed (appearance, color, texture, flavor and overall acceptance), with the average of 7 (seven) being the minimum expected result. It is worth noting that sample E with 35% mozzarella cheese was the closest to the minimum sensory requirements, while sample C with 25% mozzarella cheese was the closest to the minimum sensory requirements for purchase intention. That said, it is clear that there is a need for better adaptation in the formulation or addition of extra components that increase the sensory qualities of the product. It is also clear that the product developed is unusual to the Brazilian palate, thus causing a high deviation in relation to the sensory requirements.