Goat Milk Frozen Yogurt Cajá (Spondias mombin L.) Flavor: Development and Sensory Acceptance of an Exotic Food

The main objective of this study was to make goat milk frozen yogurt with cajá (Spondias mombim L.) flavor, a typical fruit of the Brazilian Cerrado, and to evaluate its sensory acceptance. Four formulations were prepared with different concentrations of cajá pulp (0% - control; 20%; 30%; and 40%). An acceptance test was performed to evaluate the attributes color, aroma, flavor, texture, and overall impression using a 9-point hedonic scale with 150 consumers, who also indicated their intention to purchase the product. Physicochemical (pH, total soluble solids, ash, proteins, lipids, moisture, total solids, total sugar, glucose and lactose reducing sugars, and titratable acidity expressed as lactic acid) and microbiological (thermotolerant coliforms bacteria counts, and standard plate count for Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, psychrotrophs, and lactic acid bactéria) analyses were also performed. All frozen yogurt samples exhibited pH and acidity values in accordance to the requirements of the legislation. Coliform at 30 °C, thermotolerant coliforms, filamentous fungi, and yeast counts were lower than the limits established by law. The sensory acceptance test indicated a significant difference (p <0.05) among the samples, and the formulations containing 20% and 30% cajá pulp were the most accepted. The purchase intention test showed that at least 68% consumers would probably or certainly consume goat milk frozen yogurt cajá flavor. Therefore, the use cajá pulp up to 30% in goat milk frozen yogurt is an attractive alternative for the food industry, since the product has good acceptance and improved sensory characteristics when compared to the control formulation.