Abstract
This study aimed to explore the development of a high protein tomato soup to address the nutritional needs of older adults who require higher levels of protein compared to the general population. The specific objective of this study was to explore how the addition of a dairy protein (Milk Protein Concentrate - MPC), a plant-based protein (Pea Protein Isolate - PPI), or their combination affected the techno-functional properties and sensory acceptance of tomato soup. A control soup and three soups containing MPC, PPI and their combination were prepared, and their techno-functional properties were tested. A group of 33 naïve consumers older than 18 years, scored overall liking, liking of appearance, taste, aroma and mouthfeel of the soups using 9-point hedonic scales. A significant increase in pH, apparent viscosity, and L*and b* values and a decrease in a*value for colour were observed with the addition of protein in the tomato soup. The sensory acceptability test of this pilot study showed that the participants liked the taste, aroma, colour, appearance and mouthfeel of the control soups significantly more compared to the soups with added protein. There was a significant negative correlation between changes in colour with overall liking, liking colour and appearance of samples. The age of participants had a significant effect on overall liking and liking of aroma, as participants older than 55 years liked the samples with added protein less compared to the control.
