Wood hemicelluloses are a highly interesting, sustainable new source of functional hydrocolloids for food and other life science applications. Spruce galactoglucomannans (GGM) and birch glucuronoxylans (GX), recovered from wood saw meal by pressurized hot water extraction, show a unique capacity to stabilize oil-in-water emulsions against physical breakdown and lipid oxidation. Thus GGM—“spruce gum”— and GX—“birch gum” — act as a multi-functional emulsifiers and stabilizers, and they could be used in various processed food products, replacing less effective, conventional emulsifiers. For a new product to reach the food market, technical functionality alone is not enough: the product’s sensory quality should be appealing to consumers. The aim of this work was to create, for the first time, a sensory profile of wood-derived GGM and GX to understand their effects on the sensory quality of food. We used a trained panel of 8–10 evaluators to identify the characteristic sensory properties of GGM and GX, including appearance, odor, taste, and texture. GGM and GX were evaluated in three types of model food products: aqueous solutions, solutions added in strawberry-flavored dairy yoghurt, and rapeseed oil-in-water emulsions added in the yoghurt. A characteristic forest-like aroma was recognized; however, the aroma was reduced by purification of GGM and GX by ethanol precipitation, and masked by the other components in the yoghurt. Thus, the sensory characteristics of GGM and GX can be optimized to taste.

Sensory profile of spruce galactoglucomannans and birch glucuronoxylans in food

2019 Spring National Meeting

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