Abstract
AbstractThe use of phenol compounds obtained from unripe grapes as antioxidant sustainable food ingredients is challenging due to their specific sensory attributes, such as sourness and astringency. The aim was to evaluate sensory attributes perception and consumers' liking for beetroot purees added with phenols from unripe grapes. According to hedonic responses, consumer clusters were identified and characterized for eating behavioral attitudes. Three hundred two subjects (56% women, 18–60 years old) evaluated sweet, sour, astringency, and overall flavor intensity of and liking for four beetroot puree samples added with increasing phenols concentrations (0–1.93 g/kg). Results showed that liking decreased with increasing phenols. Interestingly, samples with highest phenols concentration, characterized by sourness, and astringency, were preferred by a segment of consumers (39% of the group). This group was characterized by a low food neophobia and tended to have high emotional eating scores compared to consumers preferring samples without or with the lowest amount of extract. These results suggest that the development of functional phenol‐enriched products using winemaking by‐products is challenging due to their sensory properties that negatively influence consumers' acceptance. However, with appropriate segmentation strategies it is possible to identify specific consumer targets who could appreciate these new functional foods.Practical ApplicationsUnripe grapes can be used as a sustainable phenol source for the development of new highly antioxidant foods. Indeed, an addition till 1.9 g/kg, besides improving both the nutritional content of the food matrices, as well as promoting the reuse of winemaking by‐products, could be considered feasible from a sensory point of view. Specifically, new sustainable plant‐based food product, characterized by specific sensory attributes, could be target for specific groups of consumers to foster the transition to the consumption of food products developed using value‐added and sustainable ingredients.
Highlights
Ongoing research is paying attention to how develop well-accepted food products with both an optimal nutritional profile and a low impact on the environment
Food Neophobia Scale The questionnaire developed by Pliner and Hobden (1992) and validated in Italian by Laureati et al (2018) was applied to investigate the reluctance to try and eat unfamiliar foods
Our study showed that subjects belonging to HIGH_AIL cluster had a lower food neophobia level compared to subjects that generally gave lower liking scores to the samples enriched with phenols
Summary
Ongoing research is paying attention to how develop well-accepted food products with both an optimal nutritional profile and a low impact on the environment. One of the priorities of research and food companies is to promote the reuse of waste and by-products of food chain as source of value-added ingredients. In this context, winemaking by-products are promising sources of compounds to be reintroduced in the food chain. Recent data demonstrated that phenol extracts from olive mill waste water increase antioxidant activity of plant-based food with different macro-composition (De Toffoli et al, 2019). These compounds can delay the development of off-flavors and rancidity lengthening the shelf-life of food products (Oreopoulou & Tzia, 2007)
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