Sustainable performance of cold-set gelation in the confectionery manufacturing and its effects on perception of sensory quality of jelly candies

Abstract

Finding new technologies for enhance the sustainable confectionery production is desirable. In this context the cold-set gelation emerges as potential tool for the jelly candy industry. This study evaluated sustainability aspects of alginate/pectin cold-set gelation technique in the jelly candy manufacturing process and its impacts in sensory quality of the obtained products. The energy requirement and the CO2 emissions of cold-set jelly candy processing were measured, comparing to the conventional jelly candy manufacturing process. The produced candies were evaluated in relation to the bioactive compounds content (ascorbic acid, total phenolic and total anthocyanin compounds) and sensorially evaluated in acceptance tests wherein healthy and environmental sustainability labeling were put to the test. A questionnaire of purchase behavior was also applied to voluntary consumers. The results indicated the cold-set processing had lower energy demand (99 times lower) and gas emission (300 times lower) compared to the conventional manufacturing. Cold-set jellies showed about 3.3 times more phenolic compounds and 1.22 times more acid ascorbic content than pectin jellies. The consumer informed high interest and willing to pay more in jelly candy with sustainability labeling, however they showed low knowledge and frequency of consumption of these products. Results from the sensory acceptance test showed no significant difference (p < 0.05) between the candies regarding the attributes, but when sustainable claims were labeled it was verified an increasing in the sensory acceptance for appearance, texture and overall impression of the cold-set candies, suggesting the sustainable marketing potential of cold-set jelly candy manufacturing processing.