Sensory Evaluation of Vegetable-Infused Fruit-Flavored Applesauce and the Comparison between Adults and Children

Peter Bordi, Kiwon Lee, Martha Conklin

School of Hospitality Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, USA..

DOI: 10.4236/fns.2013.45072                

Abstract

Low consumption of fruits and vegetables among children is considered to be a leading contributor to childhood obesity, making it prudent to develop healthier foods that are accessible, affordable and satisfying to children. Our objective was to investigate the sensory characteristics and preferred flavors of vegetable-infused applesauce among adults (male and female) and 7^th grade middle school students; and to compare the flavor preferences of adults and children in order to gather information that helps determine target demographics for each applesauce flavor. Sensory testing for eight attributes (overall liking, overall appearance, appearance of texture, appearance of color, taste, mouth feel, amount of fruit flavor, amount of sweetness) were rated by 120 adults and 106 middle school students. Adults and kids demonstrated significantly different preferences for the tropical and mixed berry applesauce flavors but no difference with the strawberry banana-flavored applesauce. Female adults demonstrated clear preference for the strawberry banana flavor; children demonstrated a higher preference for the mixed berry flavor, followed by the tropical flavor. Overall, both adults and children rated all of the applesauce flavors favorably, suggesting that developing and bringing such products to market could be an effective method for helping adults and children consume more fruits and vegetables.

Keywords

Vegetable-Infused Applesauce; Stealth Health Foods; Childhood Obesity; Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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