Understanding sensory and analytical relationships in cocoa-based products

The distinctive flavour of cocoa or chocolate made from fermented and roasted cocoa beans (Theobroma cacao L.) is familiar to everybody in the cocoa consuming world. The industry differentiates between cocoa processing and chocolate manufacturing. Cocoa processing covers the activity of converting the beans into nib, liquor, butter, cake and powder. Chocolate manufacturing covers the blending and refining of cocoa liquor, cocoa butter and various optional ingredients, such as milk and sugar

Changes in the volatile profile of skim milk powder prepared under different processing conditions and the impact on the volatile flavor profile of model white chocolate

The objective of this work is to determine the extent to which changes in the skim milk powder (SMP) manufacturing process alter the volatile profile of SMP, and whether these changes are carried through to a final product when the SMP is used as an ingredient and subjected to further processing. The manufacture of SMP is a multistage process involving a preliminary concentration step, heat treatment and a drying stage. However, the methods and conditions used by the industry are not standardized, and the inherent variability in the production of SMP has consequences for the end-users, such as the confectionery industry, where the SMP is used as an ingredient during the production of milk chocolate, white chocolate and caramel. This study investigates the impact of each stage of the manufacturing process on the concentration of reducing sugars and available amino groups (as precursors of the Maillard reaction) as well as on the volatile products of the Maillard reaction and lipid degradation. Eight types of SMP were produced using combinations of different processing conditions: concentration (by evaporation or reverse osmosis), heat treatment (low heat or high heat) and drying (spray-drying or freeze-drying). Maillard precursors were quantified after each processing stage and volatile compounds were extracted using solid-phase microextraction, and analyzed by GC-MS. The resulting SMPs were incorporated into a model white chocolate system, produced under varying conching conditions. We demonstrate not only that changes in the SMP manufacturing conditions affect the volatile profile of SMP, but also that these differences can be carried through to a final product when the SMP is used to prepare a model white chocolate. Understanding these differences is important to the industry for controlling the flavor of the end product

The impact of the skim milk powder manufacturing process on the flavor of model white chocolate

Milk powder is an important ingredient in the confectionary industry but its variable nature has consequences for the quality of the final confectionary product. This paper demonstrates that skim milk powders (SMP) produced using different (but typical) manufacturing processes, when used as ingredients in the manufacture of model white chocolates, had a significant impact on the sensory and volatile profiles of the chocolate. SMP was produced from raw bovine milk using either low or high heat treatment, and a model white chocolate was prepared from each SMP. A directional discrimination test with naïve panellists showed that the chocolate prepared from the high heat SMP had more caramel/fudge character (p<0.0001), and sensory profiling with an expert panel showed an increase in both fudge (p<0.05) and condensed milk (p<0.05) flavor. GC-MS and GC-Olfactometry of both the SMPs and the model chocolates showed a concomitant increase in Maillard-derived volatiles which are likely to account for this change in flavor

Flavour distribution and release from gelatine-starch matrices

© 2020 The Authors Microstructure design of protein-polysaccharide phase separated gels has been suggested as a strategy to nutritionally improve food products. Varying the phase volumes of a phase separated matrix may affect texture and overall flavour balance of the final product, which are both important for consumer acceptance. The aims of this study were to investigate how modifying the phase volumes of a gelatine-starch biphasic mixture affected aroma release, and how addition of sucrose affects phase separation, flavour distribution and aroma release. Biphasic gels of different microstructures with the same effective concentration of gelatine and starch in each phase were developed. Microstructure significantly affected aroma release in vitro but not in vivo when panellists (n = 5) chewed and swallowed the sample. Addition of sucrose (0–60%) to the biphasic mixture significantly reduced water activity, affected the microstructure and affected aroma distribution in each phase and subsequent release rates depending on the physicochemical properties of the aroma volatile. In general, affinity for the gelatine phase for the less hydrophobic, more volatile compounds was not significantly affected by sucrose concentration. Whereas an increased affinity for the starch phase for the more hydrophobic, less volatile compounds was observed with increased sucrose as the starch phase becomes more dispersed at sucrose concentrations between 40 and 60%. The results of this study may be of interest to researchers and industry to enable prediction of how reformulation, such as reduction of sucrose, to meet nutritional guidelines may affect the overall aroma balance of a phase separated food matrix

Reducing sugar and aroma in a confectionery gel without compromising flavour through addition of air inclusions

Sugar plays an important role in both the flavour and structure of confectionery. Targets have been set to reduce sugar; however, common strategies often result in changes in flavour and consumer rejection. In this study, an approach was developed to reduce sugar in confectionery gels by aeration, without significantly affecting perceived chewiness. Gelatine based gels with a 23% and 38% reduction in density were formulated using aeration. Mean bubble size was consistent across all gels (0.05–0.06 mm). Time-intensity sensory evaluation was carried out by a trained sensory panel (n = 10). With aeration, no significant difference in overall flavour perception was observed in the 23% and 38% reduced sugar and aroma gels. Air inclusions create a greater surface area, therefore accelerating mass transfer of volatiles and release of sucrose at the food-saliva interface. Consequently, we propose that less calorie dense products can be produced without compromising flavour by using gel aeration technologies

Expression of Tas1 Taste Receptors in Mammalian Spermatozoa: Functional Role of Tas1r1 in Regulating Basal Ca2+ and cAMP Concentrations in Spermatozoa

Background: During their transit through the female genital tract, sperm have to recognize and discriminate numerous chemical compounds. However, our current knowledge of the molecular identity of appropriate chemosensory receptor proteins in sperm is still rudimentary. Considering that members of the Tas1r family of taste receptors are able to discriminate between a broad diversity of hydrophilic chemosensory substances, the expression of taste receptors in mammalian spermatozoa was examined. Methodology/Principal Findings: The present manuscript documents that Tas1r1 and Tas1r3, which form the functional receptor for monosodium glutamate (umami) in taste buds on the tongue, are expressed in murine and human spermatozoa, where their localization is restricted to distinct segments of the flagellum and the acrosomal cap of the sperm head. Employing a Tas1r1-deficient mCherry reporter mouse strain, we found that Tas1r1 gene deletion resulted in spermatogenic abnormalities. In addition, a significant increase in spontaneous acrosomal reaction was observed in Tas1r1 null mutant sperm whereas acrosomal secretion triggered by isolated zona pellucida or the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 was not different from wild-type spermatozoa. Remarkably, cytosolic Ca2+ levels in freshly isolated Tas1r1-deficient sperm were significantly higher compared to wild-type cells. Moreover, a significantly higher basal cAMP concentration was detected in freshly isolated Tas1r1-deficient epididymal spermatozoa, whereas upon inhibition of phosphodiesterase or sperm capacitation, the amount of cAMP was not different between both genotypes. Conclusions/Significance: Since Ca2+ and cAMP control fundamental processes during the sequential process of fertilization, we propose that the identified taste receptors and coupled signaling cascades keep sperm in a chronically quiescent state until they arrive in the vicinity of the egg - either by constitutive receptor activity and/or by tonic receptor activation by gradients of diverse chemical compounds in different compartments of the female reproductive tract