SENSORY COMPARISON OF A SOY ENHANCED CHOCOLATE CANDY AND A REGULAR CHOCOLATE CANDY

Abstract

Soy has become an option for many consumers due to its contribution to lowering serum cholesterol levels. The objective of this study was to compare the sensory qualities of a soy-enhanced chocolate candy with a regular candy bar. The study required the reformulation of an existing chocolate peanut butter candy bar with five grams of soy protein isolate incorporated into the existing recipe resulting in a more nutritious product containing 21% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for calcium, 16% of the RDA for protein and 24% fewer calories than a regular bar. Based on USDA food label regulations, this candy bar is an excellent source of calcium. The soy-enhanced candy bar(test) was evaluated by 70 employees from Protein Technologies Incorporated (PTI) and Ralston Purina along with the regular (control) candy bar. Results of the sensory testing with the use of one-way variance did not indicate a significant difference between the control product and the test product for any of six categories; liking of appearance, liking of overall flavor, liking of filling flavor, liking of chocolate flavor, liking of texture, amount of chocolate coating, and color of filling. The mean overall liking score was 7.2 for the control and 7.1 for the test. An ANOVA test indicated that the overall likings of the two bars were not found to be significantly different. Food science professionals and food manufacturers need to work cooperatively to develop more nutritious versions of familiar products.