BREAD AS A SOURCE OF VITAMIN A: ESTIMATION OF SENSORY SHELF LIFE

Introduction Hidden hunger is a public health concern, and one way to mitigate it is by incorporating biofortified vegetables into food products traditionally consumed by the population. Introducing the orange-fleshed sweet potato cultivar CIP BRS Nuti into bread formulations offers a way to increase vitamin A intake. Aim To estimate the sensory shelf life of vitamin A-rich breads fortified with CIP BRS Nuti sweet potato. Methodology The breads were prepared with the addition of 21% water-cooked CIP BRS Nuti sweet potato, yielding 46.14 μg/g of beta-carotene. Sensory analysis was conducted in accordance with NBR ISO 16779/2019, involving twelve trained panelists. A sensory test for difference from the control was performed over a period of 0 to 96 hours. The control samples were stored frozen at -80 °C. Test samples were stored at room temperature (22 ± 2 °C) and packaged in low-density polyethylene bags (15 μm). A structured 9-point scale was used, where 1 = extremely worse than the control; 5 = no difference from the control; and 9 = extremely better than the control. The attributes evaluated were appearance, flavor, crust softness, crumb softness, and adhesiveness. Statistical analysis was performed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Dunnett's test (p < 0.05). Results No significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed among the analyzed samples regarding appearance, flavor, crust softness, and adhesiveness over 96 hours of storage at room temperature, with scores close to 5. Regarding crumb softness, a significant difference compared to the control was observed after 96 hours of storage at room temperature, with a score of 4, indicating slightly lower crumb softness than the control. Conclusions The sensory shelf life of breads enriched with CIP BRS Nuti sweet potato, stored at room temperature, is estimated at 72 hours (3 days).