Sensory profile estimation of yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) juice acidified with lactobionic acid: Combination of flash profile, E-nose and sensometrics

Abstract

Yacon juice is a worthy alternative of a product able to keep all the benefits of the yacon roots. Lactobionic acid has been studied as a food functional acidifier, although still without permission to be applied in foods, cannot be sensory evaluated. Thus, the only approach to estimate a sensory profile of a lactobionic acid-added product is correlating sensory data with chemometric assessments. Sensory evaluation of yacon juice was performed with flash profile and its results were correlated with E-nose ones. Sensometrics showed a high similarity between yacon juice with lactobionic acid and tartaric acid regarding the volatile signals, and both raised the descriptors: Astringency, yellow color pearl-like, herbal, soy, cereal and leaf flavor, acid and bitter residual flavors. This study showed not just the potential of yacon juice as a new product, but also the suitability of combining flash profile and sensometrics to access a potential ingredient.

Keywords

• Product development
• Chemometrics
• GPA
• Functional food
• Lactobionic acid