Sensory evaluation and antioxidant capacity as quality parameters in the development of a banana, strawberry and juçara smoothie

Abstract In the present study a banana, strawberry and juçara smoothie was developed using an experimental mixture design. The juçara proportion was kept constant while the banana:strawberry ratio varied and the main responses were the sensory acceptability and the antioxidant capacity. From five formulations, only the one with the highest percentage of strawberry was rejected, most likely due to its lower sugar content and higher acidity. In general, panelists chose the sweeter formulations, which were those with a higher percentage of banana. Relating to the consistency, the best formulation was the one containing the same proportion of strawberry and banana pulp, which provided a better flow to the product. Additionally, this sample showed intermediate values of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity, as well as desirable physicochemical characteristics. In spite of being possible to obtain four formulations with good sensory acceptance, the one with equal amounts of banana and strawberry pulp is highlighted due to its antioxidant capacity and sensory characteristics, statistically corroborated by the desirability function.