The following is a summary of “Quality characteristics and sensory evaluation of protein-rich baked snacks for adults with chronic kidney disease: a proof of concept study,” published in the October 2023 issue of Nephrology by Aycart et al.
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) adults have different protein needs than the general population, and few protein-rich baked snacks are available. Researchers started a retrospective study to assess the quality and sensory perceptions of two protein-rich baked snacks made with whey and soy protein isolate for adults with CKD.
They obtained a control formulation from the American Association of Cereal Chemists to create three formulations: dried milk (control), whey protein isolate, and soy protein isolate, each with an unbaked weight of 30 grams. Product quality was assessed, including moisture, water activity, shape, size, and texture. In sensory evaluation, 101 healthy adults and 57 adults with CKD used a 9-point hedonic scale to assess appearance, flavor, texture, and overall acceptability.
The results showed that the protein content in whey and soy protein isolate was 20% of the total weight. Both formulations showed higher hardness than the control despite having similar moisture content. (P<0.001). Among healthy participants, the preference was for the whey protein isolate-based snack over the soy protein isolate-based snack across all attributes (P<0.05). However, CKD participants did not perceive differences in the same qualities (P>0.05). Open-ended responses showed that healthy and CKD participants perceived the soy protein isolate as softer and sweeter than the whey protein isolate.
Investigators concluded that adults with CKD preferred whey and soy protein isolate snacks, which can be further modified for clinical trials.
Source: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40620-023-01772-z
