Product vatapá type (plant-based) with cashew fiber: Market research, chemical characterization and sensorial profile

Abstract

This work aimed to develop a product with cashew fiber based on market research about plant-based products in Fortaleza/CE city and metropolitan area. An electronic questionnaire was formulated and distributed through social network contacts using the snowball method, where participants were asked about their eating habits and preferences related to plant-based products with cashew fiber. After obtaining the data, vatapá formulations with 10%, 15%, and 20% of cashew fiber were prepared. Physicochemical (pH, acidity, centesimal composition) and sensory (acceptance and descriptive) analyses were performed. Most respondents (87.4%) follow a normal diet (omnivorous). Of this amount, 62.1% intend to reduce meat consumption in the future, and 84.4% indicated the intention to consume products made with cashew fiber. Among the desired sensory characteristics, the most mentioned were: “Being healthy”, “Good availability of nutrients”, and “Practicality in preparation”. The results obtained for the product vegan vatapá with cashew fiber, for composition on a wet basis, was approximately 5% protein, 7% lipids, and 16% carbohydrates. In the sensory evaluation, the scores were within the range of acceptance, with a mean higher than 6.0 for appearance, taste, texture, and global acceptance (scale from 1 to 9) and; a mean of 3.0 for consistency (scale from 1 to 3), indicating ideal point; and mean above 3.0 for purchase intention (scale from 1 to 5). In the CATA (Check all that apply) descriptive sensory test, the results indicated significant difference (p < 0.05) among the samples for yellow and brown colors. The evaluation of intensity for sensory descriptors, using the RATA test (Rate all that apply), showed that the amount of cashew fiber used in the formulation influences the characteristics of “fibrous texture”, “brown color”, and “yellow color”. It was concluded that plant-based vegan vatapá type product with cashew fiber has potential for commercialization since it was well accepted by the research participants, indicating the formulations with 10% and 15% of cashew fiber for large-scale production.