Determining consumer acceptability of vegan chocolate in terms of gastronomic sustainability

Abstract

Gastronomic approaches not only meet health expectations, but also lead to increased interest in vegan products in terms of sustainability. The fact that chocolate is enjoyed by a wide range of consumers leads to questioning the texture and taste acceptability of vegan chocolate formulations. The study was carried out to compare the preferabilities of vegan and standard chocolate samples in terms of texture and flavor profiles. Texture analysis, flavour profile analysis (LPA), and hedonic scale methods were employed to assess the preference and overall desirability of chocolates. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (22.0) was used to conduct correlation and ANOVA tests in order to statistically analyse the outcomes of tests conducted on a group of 30 panellists who received separate training and were then tasked with evaluating chocolates. It was determined that the negative correlation between the perception of softness and the perception of roughness, as perceived by trained panelists, strengthened the feeling of melting in the mouth, thus supporting the formation of the desired chocolate mouthfeel. Depending on the amount of cocoa butter, the mouthfeel perceived by melting was also felt quite clearly by non-vegan individuals. Based on this, it has been revealed that the flavors of vegan chocolate are similar to standard chocolates and that vegan chocolates can be preferred by non-vegan consumers. In all chocolate samples, the mouthfeel was largely affected by cocoa and oily taste. It reveals that textural melting and softness support the mouthfeel in non-vegan individuals, and that the perception of vegan chocolate was not different from the perception of standard chocolate in terms of these defined features.