3.4. Sensory analysis
Due to the presence of Salmonella in the second replicate of product
F1, none of the formulations of this replicate were subjected to sensory
analyses. The acceptance of all sausages (Formulations F1, F2, and F3)
was similar (p>0.05) and remained constant during storage (Table 5).
The hedonic values attributed to the products were near 7, indicating
that the consumers moderately liked the dry-fermented sausages. The
average acceptability index of the three formulations during storage
was 77% (data not shown).
The results indicate that reducing the oil content and adding inulin
did not affect product acceptability. Therefore, changes in the chemical
composition, texture, and color produced by adding inulin and the
changes in the chemical composition and the color produced by reducing
the oil content did not adversely affect the acceptability of the sausages;
the assessors found the formulations to be equally acceptable.
Cáceres et al. (2004) and Garcia et al. (2006) also found that reducing
fat content and adding fructooligosaccharides or inulin did not affect
the acceptability of cooked sausages. Huang, Tsai, and Chen (2011)
found that adding 7% inulin had no effect on the acceptability (appearance,
flavor, texture, and overall acceptability) of Chinese-style sausages.
Thus, it was possible to formulate fermented chicken sausages with
37% (Formulation F2) and 46.6% (Formulation F3) fewer lipids with no
change in product acceptability. The formulation containing inulin (F3)
could provide beneficial health effects associatedwith the intake of prebiotics,
such as the inhibition of pathogen growth in the gut, increased
calcium absorption from the diet, relief of constipation, and no change
in the glucose index and insulin levels in the blood (Izzo & Niness,
2001; Manning & Gibson, 2004).