ASSESSMENT OF SENSORY ATTRIBUTES OF MUSHROOM CHIPS, MIXED HERBS AND SPICES USING AIR FRYING METHOD

Abstract

Introduction: Snacks are well-known among consumers and come in a variety form. The availability of snacks in the market is high in calories, sugar, salt as preservatives but low in nutrient content. Current food system that is not focusing on the development of healthy snacks and abundance of unhealthy food choices contributed to the lack of exposure among consumers to healthier food choices. This research was carried out to develop the acceptable and healthy chips by using rice straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea) with the mixture of different formulations of herbs and spices. The combination of rice straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea) and mixture of herbs and spices were known to produce better nutritional quality of chips. Methods: The mushroom chips were developed, and the sensory evaluation result was analysed in terms of sensory attributes and overall acceptability. Six different formulations of mushroom chips mainly formulated from a mixture of herbs and spices such as cinnamon, ginger, onion, garlic, turmeric and holy basil. A total of 35 panellists were randomly selected as volunteers to evaluate the acceptability of sensory attributes of the experimental six different formulations of mushroom chips. Results: There is no significant difference in sensory attributes such as appearance, aroma, taste, texture and overall acceptance of all six formulations observed, which made it equally acceptable to panellists. Conclusions: F3 has found to be the most preferred mushroom chips formulations in terms of sensory attributes. The outcome of this study can be made as valuable information in producing a healthy snack as an alternative.

KEYWORDS: Rice Straw, Mushroom, Herbs, Spices, Sensory Evaluation,  Chips, Air frying