A new sensory tool to analyse the oral trajectory of biscuits with different fat and fibre contents

Reformulating traditional products such as biscuits can be a useful tool for providing the population with healthier snacks. However, it involves changes in the eating characteristics of the final product. This study focuses on the oral perception of these biscuits, using the Temporal Dominance of Sensation (TDS) technique with two different amounts of fat (60. g and 30. g fat/100. g flour) and fibre (4. g and 8. g fibre/100. g flour). The TDS data obtained with a trained panel showed that hardness was the first dominant attribute in all the formulations during the mastication process. The dominance of the other parameters appeared to depend more on the fat and fibre contents, as crispness appeared with high-fat biscuits and crunchiness with low-fat, high-fibre ones, whilst both attributes were perceived in intermediate formulations. In the high-fibre formulations, grittiness and dry mouthfeel appeared during chewing and dry mouthfeel was dominant. At the end of the mastication all the biscuits were perceived as pasty. A fat mouthfeel was also perceived with both high-fat and low-fat biscuits, with or without the addition of a low level of fibre. Penalty analysis based on JAR scales, showed that excessive hardness and excessive dry mouthfeel were the most penalizing sensory characteristics causing significant drop in biscuit acceptability.