Abstract
Despite the growing demand for more sustainable food production and consumption like plant-based products, there has not been much research on the sensory properties of plant-based sausages. This research aims to compare the sensory characteristics of plant-based sausages and meat sausages, as well as determine the drivers of likings for sausage products. 8 samples (6 meat products and 2 plant-based products) were evaluated by 103 consumers using the check-all-that-apply (CATA) method with 33 attributes. The consumers also rated their overall liking of each sample. The results showed a large difference in appearance and texture between plant-based sausages and meat sausages, with plant-based sausages more associated with “coarse surface”, “tooth packing” and “crumbliness”. The liking scores of plant-based sausage samples were significantly lower than that of meat sausage samples. The results of the penalty-lift analysis showed that “smooth surface”, “firmness”, “springiness” and “dense surface” were must-have attributes for sausages, while “coarse surface”, “crumbliness”, “fishy odor” and “bitterness” should not be presented in sausage products. The results of this study could potentially be applied to improve the formulation of plant-based sausages.
