ABSTRACT Ultra-refined yerba mate (URYM), with a final particle size of 5 to 12 microns, is an innovation in the market that aims to diversify and increase the consumption of yerba mate ( Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil) through its practicality and versatility of preparation. The present work seeks to evaluate the potential for applying naturally colored URYM in food products. The nature of this study was exploratory, adopting a chemical approach (analysis of the antioxidant potential); physical approach (color stability) and sensory perception. URYM is a suitable naturally colored food ingredient with natural antioxidant appeal. Methanolic extraction of URYM (MEUR) was more efficient in scavenging DPPH radicals compared with aqueous extract of URYM (AEUR) (959.5 vs . 638.1 µmol Trolox g–1). No differences were found between AEUR and MEUR for total phenolic content in mg GAE g–1 (266.4 and 339.0, respectively) and scavenging of ABTS radicals in µmol Trolox g–1 (1008.9 and 1053.8, respectively). Water was able to extract phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity. Ice cream, juice, cake, and cookies emerged as the food products in which consumers used URYM in their homemade foods. With good color stability (no difference between L*, a* and b* parameters during the six-day) and good acceptance, cake with URYM added has a profile described as tasty, sweet, soft, and mate flavor. The results also demonstrated consumer interest in food products and ingredients with a healthy appeal.

Abstract Cheese ripeness is an important step of cheese manufacturing that provides a kind of food with complex sensory characteristics and nuanced differences. The importance of generating rapid/easy consumer perception of a new product is without question. The aim was to evaluate the Santo Giorno cheese sensory profile, at different ripening times and with different starter cultures, evaluated by trained assessors and consumers using CATA questions. The two methods generated similar results. However, the results from CATA revealed that consumers are able to discriminate between cheeses with different ripening times but not describe them in detail. The application of the technique also made it possible to perceive that the two starter cultures used did not reflect different sensory elements and that the spicy and salty attributes are more easily perceived by consumers when evaluating ripened cheeses.

Abstract Food antioxidants are a core topic of food science due mainly to the consumption of ultra-processed foods, which cannot be overlooked, and represent an importance to modern society. At the same time, natural food antioxidants are gaining attention in studies due to its food safety aspects, that commonly affect food choices. Based on this, the present study aimed to explore the cognitive evaluation of food antioxidants by consumers using the qualitative consumer technique Word Association. Two stimuli were given. Respondents were first asked to write down the first four words that came to mind; descriptions, associated thoughts, or feelings when reading “Food Antioxidants”. Secondly the word Natural was added and the stimulus was “Natural Food Antioxidants”. The Word Association technique has been shown to be an important tool for cognitive evaluation of the perception of food antioxidants, and the dimensions, Health, Food Safety, Preservatives, Source and Preference which arose and differentiated the stimuli. The results revealed some prior knowledge about issues related to food antioxidants, natural or not. Additionally, showed a clear potential use for natural food antioxidants by the food industry, judging by consumer perception that primarily related cognitively to positive aspects of healthy and food safety.

RESUMO: O presente trabalho apresenta uma metodologia analítica baseada em Cromatografia Líquida de Alto Desempenho (CLAE) e Análise de Componentes Principais (ACP) para quantificação simultânea e diferenciação analítica de ácidos orgânicos e açúcares em amostras comerciais de suco de frutas (laranja, uva, maçã e tangerina). Além do desenvolvimento do método que gerou parâmetros de validação adequados para aplicações analítica quantitativas, a análise de catorze amostras comerciais e o uso da ACP indicaram a relação entre os analitos e a natureza química constitucional do suco. Em geral, nos sucos de uva e maçã não foi quantificado ácido ascórbico sendo o conteúdo de ácido cítrico muito baixo, no entanto, as concentrações de frutose e glicose foram as mais altas em ambos sucos. Nos sucos de laranja e tangerina, o conteúdo de todos os analitos, exceto o ácido ascórbico, não diferiram estatisticamente entre si. No entanto, diferiram significativamente dos demais, principalmente em relação ao conteúdo de sacarose. Finalmente, as amostras de suco de maçã diferiram de acordo com o teor de frutose e ácido málico, constituinte predominante da maçã. Os resultados mostraram que o método comatográfico simultâneo associado à análise de componentes principais gera informações importantes sobre as características dos sucos comerciais, com potencialidade para ser utilizado em sistemas de controle de qualidade e identificação de adulterações.

ABSTRACT: The present research presents an analytical methodology based on High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Principal Component Analyses (PCA) for simultaneous quantification and analytical differentiation of organic acids and sugars in commercial fruit juice samples (orange, grape, apple and tangerine). In addition to the development of the method that generated suitable validation paramters for quantitative analytical applications, the analysis of fourteen commercial samples and the use of Principal Component Analysis indicated the relationship between the constituents and the very constitutional chemical nature of the juice. In general, in grape and apple juices, ascorbic acid was not quantified and the citric acid content was very low; however, the concentrations of fructose and glucose were the highest in both juices. In orange and mandarin orange juices, the content of all analytes, except acorbic acid, did not differ statistically from each other. However, these differed significantly from the others, mainly in relation to sucrose content. Finally, the apple juice samples differed according to the content of fructose and malic acid, the predominant constituint of the apple. Results showed that the simultaneous chromatographic method associated with principal component analysis generated important information about characteristics of commercial juices, with the potential to be used in systems of quality control and identification of adulterations.

RESUMO: Salame Tipo Italiano e Linguiça Colonial são embutidos fermentados largamente consumidos na região sul do Brasil e comumente confundidas pelos consumidores. Com caráter tradicional, a Linguiça Colonial é frequentemente caracterizada por apresentar maior diversidade nas características físico-químicas e sensoriais, o que muitas vezes pode vir ao desencontro do fortalecimento de uma identidade. O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar a descrição e a discriminação de Salame Tipo Italiano e de Linguiça Colonial por consumidores, por meio do uso da técnica Check all that apply; e de forma paralela relacionar a percepção sensorial às qualidades físico químicas dos embutidos fermentados. Os resultados revelaram falta de padronização físico-química e sensorial para as Linguiças Coloniais. As avaliações sensoriais foram mais eficazes para a discriminação dos embutidos fermentados. Os consumidores, por meio da técnica Check-all-that apply, descreveram e discrimnaram as amostras, além de definirem um padrão de melhor aceitação hedônica para embutidos fermentados.

ABSTRACT: Salami tipo Italiáno (“Italian Salami”) and Linguiça Colonial (“Colonial Sausage”) are fermented sausages widely consumed in southern Brazil and commonly confused by consumers. Colonial sausages often characterized by greater diversity of physicochemical and sensory qualities, which often can weaken a product’s identity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the description and discrimination of brands of Italian Salami and Colonial Sausage using the “check-all-that- apply” technique by consumers and in parallel to relate the sensory perception to the physicochemical qualities of the fermented sausages. Results revealed a lack of physicochemical and sensory standardization for the Colonial Sausage brands (traditional). Sensory evaluations were most effective for discriminating industrial and traditional sausages. Through the check-all-that apply technique, consumers described and discriminated the samples, and set a standard for better hedonic acceptance of fermented sausages.

Abstract The regular consumption of fish provides health gains for people, and its introduction in school meals is an important strategy to insert the habit of consuming this food by a population. Thus the objective of this study was to verify the acceptance of fish, presented in the form of hamburger, by children in municipal primary schools in the town of Pato Branco, Brazil, in which the school cooks had been trained to produce fish hamburgers. Acceptance was evaluated using a hedonic scale with 5 facial classifications (1 = disliked extremely to 5 = liked extremely). Students of both genders from 5 to 10 years of age (n = 142) were served the hamburgers for their midday meal, representing the protein portion of the meal. The results were analyzed by logistic regression. No effect of age or gender was observed between the children in the acceptance of the hamburgers, but the interaction between age and gender was significant. The cluster analysis was applied to distinguish this interaction using two-way joining to present the results, which showed the effect between specific age and gender situations. The acceptance index was 87% showing the potential for the consumption of this food by children.

Abstract The objective of this paper is to develop a fish-based product. Through the innovative sensorial check all that apply (CATA) technique, employed in two stages of the development of the product – market research and the sensorial and hedonistic characterization of the final product – the aim was to develop a fish by-product that could respond to the needs of the consumer market. Results showed that the CATA technique is an important instrument for researching the consumer market and indicated the kind of fish by-product to be developed and its desired features. Nugget was the resulting by-product. The second application of CATA made possible the sensorial description of the by-product as being crisp, with little fish odor, light in color, well-seasoned and tasty. Therefore, the CATA technique proved to be an important research instrument in the fish consumption market as well as a quick technique for the complete description of fish nuggets.

O pescado é uma fonte importante de proteína animal e, por ser um produto perecível, uma solução estratégica para superar a curta vida útil representada pelo pescado fresco seria a elaboração de empanados a base de pescado, produto com qualidade, conveniente e mais adequado à demanda do consumidor moderno. No Brasil, programas governamentais de merenda escolar vêm trazendo apoio a pesquisas para o desenvolvimento de novos produtos a base de pescado e que sejam de fácil aceitação para crianças em idade escolar. Nesse sentido, o objetivo do trabalho foi detectar os determinantes individuais do consumo de pescado com adolescentes em idade de 12 a 17 anos, visando à inserção de empanados de pescado na merenda escolar. Os dados foram obtidos a partir de 92 alunos de uma escola localizada no município de Rio Grande - RS, mediante aplicação de um questionário elaborado com perguntas a respeito de suas atitudes e preferências, consciência saudável, conveniência e fatores sociodemográficos. A análise dos resultados foi realizada com base na técnica multivariada da análise de discriminante, em que se buscou discriminar grupos formados em função da frequência de consumo de pescado (nunca consome pescado; uma vez ao mês; duas vezes ao mês; uma vez na semana; e mais de uma vez na semana). Os resultados permitiram concluir as variáveis melhores discriminantes da frequência de consumo de pescado definidas pelo teste de diferença de médias de Lambda Wilks' Parcial, que foram "gosta de pescado" (0,55) e "grau de escolaridade dos pais" (0,88). Os dois primeiros modelos discriminantes obtidos explicaram juntos 75% da variância para a frequência de consumo de pescado. A maioria dos indivíduos apresentou a ideia de que empanado não é saudável, mas que possuem o hábito de consumi-lo pelo menos de uma a duas vezes ao mês. O grupo que nunca consome pescado disse não gostar de pescado e 50% das observações registradas estão entre consumir empanado de uma vez ao mês a mais de uma vez na semana. Estes resultados indicaram um potencial de consumo de empanado de pescado por adolescentes, associado à necessidade de educação alimentar.

Fish products are an important source of animal protein and being perishable product, a strategic solution to overcome the short life represented by the fresh fish is the development of the breaded fish, a product of quality, convenient and better suited to the modern consumer demand. In Brazil, government programs for school meals have brought support for research to develop new products based on fish that are easily accepted by school children. In this sense, the objective was to detect individual determinants of fish consumption in adolescents aged 12-17 years, aiming the inclusion of breaded fish in school meal. Data was obtained from 92 students in a school located in Rio Grande - RS, by applying a questionnaire with questions about their attitudes and preferences, health consciousness, convenience and socio-demographic factors. The analysis was performed based on the technique of multivariate discriminant analysis, where one seeks to discriminate groups formed according to the frequency of fish consumption (never consumed fish; once a month, twice a month, once a week and more than once a week). The results led to the best discriminating variables in the frequency of fish consumption defined by the Partial Lambda Wilks' mean difference test which were "likes fish" (0.55) and "educational level of parents" (0.88). The first two discriminant models obtained explained 75% of the variance for the frequency of fish consumption. Most individuals presented the idea that breaded products are not healthy, but they had the habit of consuming them at least once or twice a month. The group that never consumed fish said to dislike fish and 50% of the observations are recorded between consuming breaded once a month to more than once a week. These results indicate a potential for breaded fish consumption by adolescents, associated with the need for nutrition education.