Sensory Evaluation of Functional Drink Derived from Sacha Inchi (Plukenetia volubilis) Press Cake

Abstract

The demand and consumer purchase intent for a milk substitute has risen during the past year due to the increase in people's awareness of their health quality. Milk substitutes or what has often been called non-dairy, usually come from plant-based sources such as soy, almond, hemp, etc. have been studied and proven to have similar nutritional content compared to dairy milk. Plant-based milk has better fat composition which is mainly dominated by unsaturated fat thus it is categorized as a functional food. Sacha Inchi is a novel and sustainable source of edible plant-based fat and protein that can be utilized as the base for plant-based milk making. Due to Sacha Inchi press-cake milk being relatively new, sensorial evaluation were conducted to see consumer the preferences and perspectives related to the Sacha Inchi milk acceptability. The aim of this study is to formulate and test the sensorial properties and acceptability of the Sacha Inchi press-cake milk. CATA with 24 panelists, 9-point hedonic, and ranking test with a total of 130 panelists were conducted to observe the attributes and preference on the Sacha Inchi milk with different soaking time and sweetener ratios. The result showed there are significant differences (p < 0.05) between the different formulations in terms of the attributes perceived and preference of the Sacha Inchi press-cake milk. Sacha Inchi press-cake milk from the second soaking process with honey has the best attributes and higher acceptability.