14F-27 |
Improving the quality and shelf-life of almond paste |
E. CAPANOGLU, D. Boyacioglu, and D. Nilufer. Food Engineering Department, Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Chemical & Metallurgical Engineering, Food Engineering Department, Maslak, Istanbul, 34469, Turkey Almond paste is an economically valuable product produced by mixing ground almonds, sugar and small amounts of water. Oxidative rancidity and oil separation are the major problems that are encountered during the production of such paste-type products. Another important problem is drying which occurs on the surface and results in lower acceptability. Antioxidants, stabilizers and different types of additives are widely used to prevent these undesirable changes. The objective of this study was to determine and control the undesirable changes that occur during storage at 4°C and 30°C by changing the product formulation and adding additives to improve the quality and shelf-life of almond paste. Changes that occur by the time were examined by several chemical, instrumental, sensory and microbiological methods. Moisture analysis, peroxide value, free fatty acid and Rancimat analysis were carried out. Sensory tests were applied using “Descriptive Analysis” technique to follow the changes in flavor and texture. Osmophilic yeast and mold analysis were also performed to determine the microbiological changes. It was observed that the addition of antioxidant prevented oxidation effectively and the overall impression of the formulations with antioxidant was high. On the other hand, the addition of stabilizer had no significant effect and had low overall impression. The addition of maltose had positive effects by means of balancing the moisture content and according to the sensory analysis, those samples were preferred more than the others. Based on the microbiological analysis, yeast and mould growth were observed in all of the samples after 5 days of the storage. These results suggest that the addition of antioxidant and maltose syrup can be advantageous for improving the stability and sensory properties of the almond paste. On the other hand, the addition of stabilizer is not recommended since it had no positive effect and moreover, it would cause an additional cost for the manufacturer.
Session 14F, Product Development: General
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