Abstract The Brazilian food industry and government reached a consensus on progressively reducing the content of industrial trans fatty acids (TFA) in food products due to its health effects. French fries are popular among young people and this study evaluates four brands of frozen pre-fried French fries marketed in Brazil and four brands of French fries from the main fast-food chains in Brazil regarding their fatty acid profile and total fat content. The total fat content of fast-food chain French fries was 14-21g/100 g, with a total TFA content of 0.01-0.14 g/100 g. In turn, the total fat content of frozen pre-fried French fries ranged from 3.3 to 7.4 g/100 g, with a total TFA content of 0.01-0.03 g/100 g. Deep fat frying of these products did not include partially hydrogenated fat. Two most sold pre-fried French fries brands available in Rio de Janeiro city, Brazil were selected and evaluated using air frying cooking method regarding sensory acceptance. Mean acceptance among consumers was 5.7 and 5.1 for brands A and B, respectively. Brand A was further evaluated by children and young people, with mean acceptance of 4.48 and 7.2, respectively, showing good acceptance for pre-fried French fries with reduced fat content.

RESUMO: O objetivo deste trabalho foi desenvolver uma bebida mista do tipo smoothie utilizando o albúmen sólido do coco verde na sua composição. As formulações do smoothie foram elaboradas seguindo um planejamento experimental, fixando-se a concentração do albúmen sólido em 20% e variando-se os teores das polpas de acerola, abacaxi e água de coco, que totalizaram 80% da massa total do produto. Os parâmetros de resposta avaliados foram o teor de vitamina C, a capacidade antioxidante e a aceitação sensorial global. Foi observado que das dez formulações avaliadas, as que continham maiores concentrações de polpa de acerola, apresentaram valores superiores de compostos bioativos, porém não foram as mais aceitas sensorialmente. Por meio da função desejabilidade chegou-se a uma formulação final que consistiu de 52,8% de abacaxi, 27,2% de acerola e 20,0% de albúmen sólido de coco verde. Esta nova formulação teve boa aceitação, com nota igual a 7 (“bom”) e representa um bom aporte nutricional, sendo fonte de vitamina C, podendo contribuir para agregar valor a um coproduto da indústria de bebidas.

ABSTRACT: The present study aimed to develop a mixed smoothie drink using the solid albumen of the green coconut in its composition. Smoothie formulations were prepared following an experimental design, setting the solid albumen concentration at 20% and varying the contents of the acerola (Barbados Cherry), pineapple, and coconut water pulps, which corresponded to 80% of the total mass of the product. Response parameters evaluated were vitamin C content, antioxidant capacity, and overall sensory acceptance. Ten formulations were evaluated. The ones that contained higher concentrations of acerola pulp had higher values of bioactive compounds but were not the most sensorially accepted. By means of the desirability function, a final formulation consisted of 52.8% of pineapple, 27.2% of acerola, and 20.0% of solid albumen of green coconut. This new formulation was well accepted, with a grade (score) 7 (“good”). It represents a good nutritional contribution and a source of vitamin C which can contribute to add value to a co-product of the beverage industry.

Resumo Os métodos sensoriais descritivos permitem a detecção, a descrição e a quantificação dos atributos sensoriais presentes em um alimento. Estes métodos são utilizados pela indústria de alimentos no desenvolvimento de novos produtos, no controle de qualidade, nas alterações de ingredientes e/ou formulações e na avaliação de produtos durante a estocagem. Porém, a maioria das técnicas descritivas existentes necessita da utilização de avaliadores treinados e emprega uma escala não estruturada para avaliar os produtos. Isto torna as análises demoradas e com custo elevado, devido às exaustivas sessões de treinamento para que os problemas com o uso das escalas sejam minimizados. Com o intuito de reduzir o tempo de análise e os custos inerentes aos testes descritivos, pesquisas recentes têm buscado desenvolver metodologias que permitam a descrição rápida dos alimentos e que possam também ser aplicadas com consumidores. Este trabalho teve como objetivo abordar os progressos da ciência sensorial quanto ao desenvolvimento de novas metodologias descritivas mais rápidas e versáteis.

Abstract Sensory descriptive methods allow for the detection, description and quantification of the sensory attributes present in a food. These methods are used by the food industry to develop new products, for quality control, to change ingredients and/or formulations, and in food storage studies. However, most existing descriptive techniques require the use of trained assessors and rate using unstructured scales to evaluate the foods. This makes the analysis time longer and the analysis cost higher due to the extensive training sessions in order to minimize the problems caused by the use of the scales. In order to reduce the analysis time and costs inherent in the descriptive tests, recent research has aimed to develop methodologies that allow for the rapid description of foods and that can also be applied with consumers. The aim of this study was to consider the progress made in sensory science concerning the development of new faster and more versatile descriptive methodologies.