SENSORY EVALUATION AND CONSUMER PERCEPTION OF BURGERS WITH ADDITION OF FUNCTIONAL COLLAGEN

Introduction The food industry seeks alternatives to nutritionally enrich meat products, and collagen, a byproduct of meat processing, has emerged as a functional protein with technological potential, making sensory evaluation necessary to confirm its viability in burger formulations. Objective To evaluate the sensory acceptance, purchase intention, and consumer perception of burgers added with functional collagen compared to the traditional product (control treatment). Methodology In total, 110 untrained panelists carried out an acceptance test using a mixed 9-point hedonic scale for the attributes appearance, aroma, flavor, texture, juiciness, and overall impression, in addition to a purchase intention test on a 5-point scale; 30 of these panelists also performed a duo-trio test to verify sensory discrimination between the formulations. Fiber-type functional collagen was applied in the test burger formulation. Panelists were further asked about their perception of the use of functional collagen in food. Data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA and binomial table, at a 5% significance level. Results No significant differences were found between the burger formulations for most attributes, including overall impression (control: 7.50; with collagen: 7.73). An exception was observed for texture, with a mean of 7.32 for the burger with collagen versus 6.94 for the control treatment, indicating an improvement in the perception of this attribute. The duo-trio test likewise showed no difference between treatments. Purchase intention was higher for the burger with collagen (81%) than for the control (64%), along with a positive perception of the ingredient (74%) and 93% of panelists willing to consume it. Conclusions The addition of functional collagen did not compromise the sensory acceptance of the burger, proving technologically viable, and it also added value as perceived by consumers, reflected in the increased purchase intention compared to the traditional product.