Understanding Consumer Preference for Functional Barley Tortillas Through Sensory,Demographic, and Behavioral Data

Consumption of whole grains as part of a health‐promoting diet is encouraged among Americans due to beneficial nutrients and phytochemicals. The main objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of whole barley flour particle size on consumer acceptance of whole grain and soluble fiber‐enriched tortillas; to examine the effect of demographic and behavioral data on consumer acceptance; and to establish relationships between consumer acceptance and survey results to identify market opportunities among particular groups of consumers. Four experimental tortillas and two representative commercial brands were tested by 95 untrained panelists using a 9‐point hedonic scale for appearance, color, flavor, texture, and overall acceptability. Demographic and behavioral data on age, gender, ethnicity, frequency of tortilla consumption, daily effort to include fiber in the diet, consumption of tortillas containing ≥1 g of dietary fiber/serving, consumption of low‐fat tortillas, and tortilla brands and type used were collected. Potential market segments for these tortillas include older consumers (41+), women, Hispanics, and Asians, and frequent tortilla consumers. A response surface relating flavor and texture to overall acceptability produced almost equivalent results to the multivariate PLS results in terms of predicting overall acceptability, which facilitates analysis and interpretation.     

Particle Size Effects on the Quality of Flour Tortillas Enriched with Whole Grain Waxy Barley

Wheat tortillas were enriched with whole barley flour (WBF) of different particle sizes including 237 μm (regular [R]), 131 μm (intermediate [IM]), and 68 μm (microground [MG]). Topographical and fluorescent microstructure images of flours, doughs, and tortillas were examined. Flours and tortillas were analyzed for color, protein, ash, starch, moisture, and β‐glucan content. Farinograph testing was conducted on the flour blends. Water activity and texture analyses of tortillas were conducted. A 9‐point hedonic scale was used by 95 untrained panelists to evaluate tortilla appearance, color, flavor, texture, and overall acceptability. Two commercial products (CP) were included in some analyses. As WBF particle size decreased, color was lighter; protein, moisture content and mixing stability decreased; ash, starch content, water absorption and farinograph peak time increased; and β‐glucan content was constant. WBF tortillas were darker than the control (C), while IM and MG tortillas had lower peak forces than C. No flavor differences were reported among C, R, and MG tortillas but higher scores were given to both CP in all attributes tested. Tortillas made with the largest WBF particle size (R) were the most similar in protein content, texture and flavor when compared with C tortillas made with refined bread flour.