Thesis
DETERMINATION OF THE RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES, SENSORY PROFILES AND CONSUMER PREFERENCE FOR COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE SOLID SHELF-STABLE SNACKING CHEESES
Washington State University
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
01/2021
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000005415
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/124679
Abstract
The demand for snacks with increased nutrition, satiety, and portability isincreasing. Fresh cheese, a nutritious and filling snack, lacks portability. In response,
solid shelf-stable snacking cheeses (SSSCs), made exclusively of dehydrated cheese,
provide a nutritious, satiating, portable snack with an appealing texture. The objective
of this thesis was to characterize the rheological and sensory properties of commercially
available solid shelf-stable snacking cheeses (SSSCs) and determine the key drivers of
consumer liking.
A double compression test was used to analyze the mechanical properties of the
13 commercially available solid SSSCs. The microstructure of all thirteen samples were
explored to determine its influence on the mechanical measurements and sensory
analysis with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A trained panel (n=10) characterized
13 commercial solid SSSCs using 37 appearance, aroma, flavor, texture, taste, and
mouthfeel attributes. A consumer home use test (n=80) determined acceptance and key
drivers of liking of the 13 samples.
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Correlations between mechanical measurements and texture attributes evaluated
by the trained panel were found to be mostly weak and non-significant. SEM
determined that the microstructure may influence the mechanical measurements and
the texture perceived through sensory analysis. The trained panel identified significant
differences (p<0.05) among all 37 attributes across all samples. Spherical and square
samples were characterized as thick, dense, and hard. Small flat and ellipsoid shapes
were porous, crunchy, and fatty. Large flat samples appeared shredded and absorbed
moisture. Consumers expressed significant overall preference (p<0.05) for four
samples, WC, small flat Cheddar sample; WP, small flat parmesan sample; BHP,
ellipsoid parmesan sample; and WPJ, small flat jalapeno sample. Three consumer
clusters were determined. Cluster 1 (n=17) preferred sample WP with salty taste, nutty
aroma/flavor, and fatty characteristics as drivers of liking. Cluster 2 (n=30) preferred
sample WPJ with porous appearance, rough texture, and caramelized aroma/flavor
driving liking. Crumbly and fracturable textures drove liking for Cluster 3 (n=33) which
preferred sample WPJ. Thick samples with hard, dense, and gummy textures were
disliked by all clusters. These results can help food companies in expanding and refining
their market reach to consumers that value solid SSSCs.
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Details
- Title
- DETERMINATION OF THE RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES, SENSORY PROFILES AND CONSUMER PREFERENCE FOR COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE SOLID SHELF-STABLE SNACKING CHEESES
- Creators
- Jasmine Ricke
- Contributors
- Carolyn Ross (Advisor)Helen Joyner (Committee Member)Minto Michael (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- School of Food Science
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 170
- Identifiers
- 99900591955701842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis