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Title: TEXTURIZATION OF SWEETPOTATO PUREE WITH ALGINATE: EFFECTS OF TETRASODIUM PYROPHOSPHATE AND CALCIUM SULFATE

Author
item TRUONG V D - NCSU
item WALTER W M JR - 6645-10-00
item GIESBRECHT F G - NCSU

Submitted to: Journal of Food Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/8/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The sweetpotato, although a nutritious vegetable, is not widely consumed in the United States. This is because very few convenience foods containing it are available at the retail level. The absence of such convenience foods is partially the result of insufficient knowledge of the physico- chemical properties of restructured sweetpotato-based products. Previously, we found that an excellent product comparing favorably with fresh baked sweetpotatoes was obtained when cooked sweetpotato puree texturized with cellulosic binding agents. In the present research we have used an alginate/calcium system as the binding agent and selected modeling techniques to select those ingredient combinations providing the best sensory attributes. In fact, several representative formulations not only were scored by the taste panel as being indistinguishable from baked sweetpotatoes but were less dependent upon serving temperature than were the cellulose containing prototypes. This technology is adaptable to the production of many types of formed sweetpotato products and, in addition, will permit utilization of all grades of sweetpotatoes.

Technical Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine the effects and optimum levels of tetrasodium pyrophosphate (TSPP), alginate and calcium sulfate (CaSO4) on physical and sensory characteristics of texturized sweetpotato puree, using response surface methodology. Samples were subjected to instrumental texture profile analysis (TPA) and sensory evaluation. Prediction models to describe the effects of ingredients on TPA parameters were obtained and used to generate contour plots for optimization using TPA values of traditionally baked roots (control) as the limits. The optimum formulations having textural characteristics of the control were within the following identified regions: (a) at 0.12% TSPP, alginate, 0.20-0.25%, and CaSO4, 0.40-0.70%; (b) at 0.18% TSPP, alginate, 0.20-0.55%, and CaSO4, 0.22-0.42%. A taste panel scored representative formulations of the optimum regions similar to the control for color, flavor, texture, and overall acceptability.