Protein is a required macronutrient for maintenance of muscle mass. Current guidelines recommend daily intake of 0.8 g of dietary protein per kilogram body weight (kg bw), regardless of age⁽¹⁾. However, factors such as age and physiological changes may increase this requirement to 1.5g/ kg bw/day for older adults with sarcopenia⁽²⁾. Therefore, protein-fortified foods are used to enhance the protein intake of older adults. Milk protein concentrate (MPC) and pea protein isolate (PPI) ingredients are used to increase the protein content of different foods^(3–6). However, their addition changes the functional and sensory properties of the final protein-fortified product⁽⁷⁾. Therefore, enzymatic hydrolysis is employed to improve the techno-functional properties of these ingredients, however, the bitterness of the resulting hydrolysates limits their application. This study aimed to investigate the effect of hydrolytic enzyme preparation on the taste properties of MPC and PPI hydrolysates when incorporated as ingredients in protein-fortified tomato soup.Solutions of MPC and PPI containing 3% total solids (w/w) were hydrolyzed at 50°C for 30 min using Neutrase®, Umamizyme and Protease AN “Amano” 100SD at an enzyme-to-substrate ratio of 1%. Bitterness in the hydrolysates was assessed with 16 semi-trained participants using labeled magnitude scales (LMS) and by 44 participants using a ranking test. Both tests showed that the least bitter hydrolysates were those generated using Umamizyme and Protease AN “Amano” 100SD. These hydrolysates were used to develop protein-fortified tomato soup with 3% of protein powders, that were characterised by 38 naïve consumers using hybrid quantitative descriptive profiling.ANOVA on the bitter taste revealed that soups containing hydrolysed MPC (regardless of the hydrolytic enzyme used) were significantly more bitter compared to the control unhydrolyzed protein-fortified tomato soup (p<0.001). Bitterness in the protein-fortified tomato soup was masked using various ingredients, applying the principle of taste-taste interactions. A ranking test with 43 naïve participants showed that a combination of tomato puree and sucrose successfully reduced bitterness.Overall, the enzyme preparation used affected the bitterness of the MPC and PPI hydrolysates and consequently the taste of the protein-fortified tomato soup. The use of Umamizyme and Protease AN Amano resulted in less bitter protein hydrolysates (both PPI and MPC) compared to Neutrase (p<0.001). Taste-taste interactions resulting from a combination of ingredients could successfully be employed to reduce bitterness in the protein-fortified tomato soup. Since these soups are aimed to be consumed by older people, further work will aim to test their preference.

The demand for protein‐fortified products has increased due to several factors, with a major one being the growing population of older adults worldwide. The aim of this study was to optimize the formulation of protein‐fortified tomato soup by adding milk protein concentrate (MPC) and pea protein isolate (PPI) individually or in combination. The combination was used to balance the nutritional limitations of plant proteins (such as the low levels of leucine) while enhancing the environmental sustainability of milk proteins. The key objective was to develop a tomato soup with at least 20% of the caloric content coming from protein, with similar physicochemical properties to a control soup, reduced CO₂ emissions, and high leucine content to meet the nutritional needs of older adults. The effects of various protein combinations on the physicochemical properties of the tomato soups were examined using a machine learning approach. The findings revealed that while it is challenging to simultaneously maximize leucine content and minimize carbon emissions, a formulation with double leucine content and a relatively low CO₂ footprint was achievable. The models demonstrated high accuracy for most physicochemical properties but encountered greater complexity for certain attributes, emphasizing the importance of considering both individual and combined protein effects. In conclusion, the study highlights the potential to use machine learning to blend proteins in a strategic manner with the aim to develop nutritious and sustainable food products, addressing the nutritional needs of older adults, while providing more environmentally friendly options in protein fortification.

Current reformulation strategies call for the development of healthier nutrient-dense foods. Chickpeas are high in fiber and protein, while grape powder (GP) and grape skin powder (GSP) are grape-derived ingredients that could positively affect the functional properties of foods. This study evaluated the impact of GP and GSP addition on the properties of chickpea-based chocolate spreads. Three formulations (Control, GP-fortified, and GSP-fortified) were developed, and their in vitro radical-scavenging activity and their physicochemical properties, such as moisture, pH, color (L*, a*, b*), texture, oil separation, were tested, while their nutritional composition was calculated. Sensory evaluation was conducted with 47 naïve participants using a 5-point hedonic scale. The addition of GP and GSP reduced measured moisture content and enhanced the in vitro radical-scavenging activity under the assay conditions used. GSP resulted in the lowest pH, darkest color, highest oil separation, highest firmness, lowest instrumental spreadability, and lowest acceptance due to reported bitterness and astringency. However, addition of GP did not affect significantly instrumental spreadability and overall liking compared to the control. Overall, among the three formulations evaluated, the GP-fortified spread resulted in minimum changes in the physicochemical properties while maintaining sensory acceptability compared to the control, making it a promising ingredient for food formulations.

Protein is a required macronutrient for maintenance of muscle mass. Current guidelines recommend daily intake of 0.8 g of dietary protein per kil | POSTER