Abstract
Wood is an abundant and sustainable source of emerging food ingredients, namely hemicelluloses that fulfil a number of requirements for functional hydrocolloids. Hemicelluloses, especially spruce galactoglucomannans (GGM) and birch glucuronoxylans (GX), have potential to be used as stabilizers in various foods such as yogurts, beverages, dressings, and desserts. However, in addition to good technological functionality, safety, and low price, the applicability and market potential of new hydrocolloids is determined by their sensory properties. The present study reports, for the first time, the sensory profile of spruce GGM and birch GX in food. Sensory profiles from generic descriptive analysis of GGM- and GX-rich extracts, processed by spray drying or ethanol precipitation, were compared in three types of model food systems: water solutions, yogurt with solutions, and yogurt with emulsions stabilized by GGM or GX. Gum Arabic was included for comparison with a commercial ingredient known to have a mild flavor. The results showed that GGM and GX have a woody flavor, which can be reduced by ethanol precipitation and, in yogurt, masked by other food ingredients.Graphic abstract
Highlights
With emerging biorefineries, industries are extensively exploring pathways to valorize lignocellulosic biomass in various alternative products (Mikkonen 2020)
Sensory profiles of wood GGM and GX were characterized as water solutions and in yogurt models
The characteristic wood-like flavor, bitter taste, and astringency were pronounced in spray-dried sGGM and sGX solutions, which was attributed to the presence of lignin-derived phenolic compounds
Summary
Industries are extensively exploring pathways to valorize lignocellulosic biomass in various alternative products (Mikkonen 2020). Hemicelluloses are abundantly available, constituting 20–35% of wood biomass (Sjostrom 1993). Technologies already exist to efficiently separate wood hemicelluloses, lignin and cellulose (Von Schoultz 2015). These processes contribute to more economic use of natural resources, and respond to the strategic aim for resource-wise circular economy (European Commission 2019). Abundant industrial sources for wood hemicelluloses include thermomechanical pulping process water (Willfor et al 2003), saw meal (Kilpelainen et al 2014), or pre-hydrolysate of dissolving pulp, which is often burnt at low efficiency (Saadatmand et al 2013). Wood hemicelluloses are not currently isolated for industrial use, but they show great potential as novel food hydrocolloids (Mikkonen et al 2016a, b; Valoppi et al 2019b)
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