PSXI-30 Descriptive sensory evaluation of rotary molded sorghum-based dog treats supplemented with soluble animal protein

Abstract

Abstract Treats are food products given to dogs to strengthen bonds between owners and pets. Most treats on the market are made of wheat, mostly because of gluten binding properties. While sorghum lacks gluten, soluble animal proteins could be used as binders instead. The objective of this study was to evaluate appearance, aroma, flavor, texture/mouthfeel, and aftertaste of rotary-molded dog treats made with white (WS) or red (RS) whole sorghum flours. The sorghum biscuits were prepared with spray-dried plasma (SDP), gelatin (GL), egg protein (EP), or no protein (NC). All were compared to a positive control made with whole wheat flour (WF-GTN). The trained sensory panel identified 27 attributes. The products were evaluated on a scale from 0 to 15, using a consensus approach. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with XLSTAT Statistical Software and radar plots were created to visualize correlations between treatments and attributes. Brown and surface cracks were the most differentiating attributes: RS and WS biscuits with SDP or EP resulted in a darker appearance (10.0–14.0), while NC biscuits had more surface cracks (10.0–12.0). Aroma attributes did not vary significantly among samples, except for the overall intensity that was higher for RS-EP (7.0). Grainy was the main flavor and aftertaste, ranging from 4.0–7.0. Other flavors such as cardboard, leavening, starchy, and toasted were perceived in less proportion (2.0–4.0). Initial crispness, hardness, and fracturability were more pronounced in EP treatments (11.0–14.5). All biscuits had less hardness, less cohesiveness of mass, and more particle residuals when compared to the control WF-GTN. This work indicated that formulation had a bigger effect on texture and product appearance rather than flavor, aroma, or aftertaste. These results can be used as insights for pet owners’ interpretation and as preliminary data to describe dog preferences, which may complement instrumental analyses.