Elaboration and sensory evaluation of pecan nut butter (Carya Illinoensis K) suitable for people with chronic diseases

L. E. Chacón-Garza.et.al. Int. Journal of Engineering Research and Application www.ijera.com
ISSN : 2248-9622, Vol. 6, Issue 12, ( Part -3) December 2016, pp.97-101
www.ijera.com 97 | P a g e
Elaboration and sensory evaluation of pecan nut butter (Carya
Illinoensis K) suitable for people with chronic diseases
L. E. Chacón-Garza*, C. E. López-Martínez*, A. Rodríguez-Vidal** G.
Tuirán* and H. D. Flores-Chávez***
*(Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, Piedras Negras, México.
** (Department of Food Research. Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, Saltillo, México.
***(Universidad del Valle de México, Laureate International Universities, Saltillo, México
ABSTRACT
The objective of the present work was to elaborate two butters with pecan nut (Carya Illinoensis K), suitable for
people with chronic degenerative diseases and with cardio vascular risk. Because are these diseases are one of
the leading causes of death in the world. The pecan nut (Carya Illinoensis K) is a food rich in monounsaturated
fatty acids (MUFAs) such as oleic acid and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as linoleic acid, which
have been shown to be effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels. A sensorial test was also carried out to see
the grade level of this product, finding that it was well accepted by potential consumers. The parameters that
most influenced the choice and acceptability of butter were the appearance and consistency.
Keywords: butter, chronic diseases, nut, pecan, sensory -
I. INTRODUCTION
Actually, high interest exists in consuming
foods that contribute to maintaining a healthy state,
as well as preventing degenerative diseases [1].
Among this type of food are nuts, which are
nutritious, tasty, convenient, and easy snack that
contribute to a healthy lifestyle. They are typically
consumed as whole nuts (either raw or roasted or
salted) or used as ingredients in a variety of
processed foods, especially in spreads, bakery, and
confectionary products, among others [2], [3].
Epidemiologic studies have consistently
demonstrated beneficial effects of nut consumption
on coronary heart disease (CHD) morbidity and
mortality in different population groups [3], [4], [5],
[6]. There is speculation that the cholesterol
lowering effect associated with nut consumption
arises primarily from the fatty acid composition of
nuts but may be caused by some other component
[4], [5]. Generally, nut oils are rich in
monounsaturated fatty acids, predominantly oleic
acid, but contain much lower amounts of
polyunsaturated fatty acids, predominantly linoleic
acid, and small amounts of saturated lipids [3], [4],
[5], [6], [7].
The pecan nut (Carya Illinoensis K)
possesses a series of functional properties that make
it a good alternative for an adequate nutrition. The
pecan had a high content of proteins (12%) and fatty
acids, approximately 63% of these fatty acids are
monounsaturated (mainly oleic) and 27% are
polyunsaturated fatty acids (mainly linoleic and
linolenic) [3], [8], [9]. Besides, the oxidative stress is
common in chronic degenerative disease, and it has
been assumed that dietary antioxidants may have
protective effect, of this nut; the pecans (Carya
Illinoensis K) have one of the highest contents of
antioxidants [6], [10].
The consumption of nuts in natural form is
limited. Children and elderly people cannot easily
open the nuts and consume them [2]. Another
problem after processing and before consumption of
nuts is their storage and handling which influence
the quality of the product, and there are many reports
about presence of mycotoxins, especially aflatoxin
in nuts [2], [11].
Development of new products such as
butter of nut and using suitable packaging materials
can reduce the risk of losses of product due to
contamination to mycotoxins. Development of butter
of nut would potentially increase the food uses of
nuts and introduce consumers to a healthier food [2].
The term “nut butter” refers to products that contains
at least 90% nut ingredients [2], and have a variety
of uses, and the most common use is in sandwich
preparation. Other uses include as toppings for
edible crackers or as dips for vegetable pieces [2],
[10].
The overall quality of nut butter is related
to the quality of nut paste which is used as the main
ingredient. The quality of nut paste is influenced by
raw kernel quality, processing conditions such as
roasting temperature and time, and storage
conditions [13]. Efforts have been made to improve
the flavor and texture of nut spreads by addition of
RESEARCH ARTICLE OPEN ACCESS

moist ingredients such as honey or several types of
flavorings [2].
Finally, the most important characteristic of
nut butter is spreadability, it is of utmost importance
that the product should have a soft texture and be
easily spreadable to avoid tearing the bread or
crumbling the crackers. The aim of the present work
was to evaluate the sensory characteristics of two
pecan nut (Carya Illinoensis K) butters suitable for
people with chronic diseases.
II. MATERIAL AND METHODS
2.1 Manufacture of nut butters
Pecan nuts (Carya Illinoensis K var
Pawnee) were purchased from a farm in the
municipality of Zaragoza, Coahuila, Mexico. Two
nut butters, of nut pecan were made, using the same
formulation. For each 100 g of pecan nut, 1.35 g of
sea salt and 2 g of sucralose were used. The
ingredients were mixed and liquefied until they
acquired a viscous consistency. They were packaged
and stored at 5 ° C until use. One sample was pre-
warmed at 135 ° C for 25 min until it takes on a
golden color, this were the toasted sample. And the
other sample was not pre-warmed and these were
unroasted sample.
2.2 Nutritional analysis of nut butters
A nutritional analysis of the samples was
carried out in which total fat, total sugars, dietary
fiber, protein and sodium were determined using the
AOAC methodology [14]. In addition, the
percentages of calcium, iron and vitamins A and C
were determined through established nutritional
tables [15], [16].
2.3 Sensory analysis of nut butters
Sensory analysis of two nut butters of
pecan nut (Carya Illinoensis K) was performed by
un-trained panel composed of 50 panelists. The
distribution in age was in range between 17-42 years
old, and the distribution in female and male was 60
and 40% respectively.
The evaluation was conducted in the
Bromatology Laboratory of the School of Health
Sciences, of the Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila,
México. The conditions of the sensory room were 25
°C of temperature and white light illumination. A
hedonic scale was used from 1 to 7. Being 1 dislike
very much and 7 like very much and 3 was the
rejection point. The attributes of appearance, color
pleasant, consistency, smell nut, pleasant smell, nut
taste, sweet taste, salt content, pleasant taste and
general taste were evaluated.
2.3 Experimental Design
For the analysis of the nutritional analysis
of nut butters of pecan nut (Carya Illinoensis K), a
multiple comparison test of Tukey HSD (p=0.5) was
used. Sensory analysis data were analyzed using a
Kruskhal-Wallis test. Duncan test was applied to
compare sums of ranks and principal component
analysis (p=0.05). Data analysis was carried out
using Statgraphics Centurion XV software version
16.1.15 Statpoint Technologies, Inc. Warrenton,
Virginia
III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
3.1 Analysis of nutritional content
Two nut butters (Carya Illinoensis K) were
evaluated, nutritionally evaluated, without found
significant differences between them (p=0.05). It
was determined that for each 30 g of pecan nut
butter, the product has energy value of 223.2 Cal,
equivalent to 933.8 kJ, this energy was obtained of:
23.3 g of total fat, 4.32 g of carbohydrates and 3 g of
protein (Table 1) [8], [9], [16].
The resulting product had a high number of
calories, and most of these were fat. However, it is
important to remember that although traditionally
the nut it was considered as unhealthy due their high
fat content, recent epidemiologic and numerous
clinical studies, have provide evidence that frequent
nut consumption is associated with favorable plasm
lipids profiles [3], [5], [17], [18]. It has been shown
that 30 g serving of nuts, it helps to reduce total
cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, [5] the
consumption of nut fatty acids can decrease
cardiovascular risk [5], [17].
Nutritional facts 200 g Portion 30 g (2 Teaspoons)
Energy 1488 Cal / 6225.7 kJ 223,2 Cal / 933.8 kJ
Total fat 155,55 23.3
Total carbohydrates 28,8 g 4.32 g
Dietary fiber 20 g 3 g
Protein 20 g 3 g
Glucose 8 g 1.2 g
Sodium 1.1 g 55 mg
Sucralose 1g 15 mg
Cholesterol 0 mg 0 mg
Iron 28 %* 4.2 %*

Calcium 14 %* 2.1 %*
Vitamin C 2 %* .3 %*
Vitamin A 2 %* .3 %*
Table 1. Nutritional facts of pecan unroasted butter nut (Carya Illinoensis K var Pawnee)
* Based on a diet of 2000 Calories
The product is low in sugars so it is also
suitable for diabetic patients. It can be consumed as
part of the breakfast or as a snack for athletes who
need to replenish energy and protein after intense
exercise, or for those people who need to gain
weight for some reason [18].
3.2 Sensory analysis of pecan nut butter
The sensory analysis data of the two pecan
nut (Carya Illinoensis K) butters elaborated in the
present project are shown in table 2. Both toasted
and unroasted samples had an equal acceptance in
the general taste (p=0.05) of the judges. However,
the two samples showed significant differences
(p=0.05) in some of the evaluated parameters, such
as appearance, pleasant color, consistency, nut smell,
pleasant smell and nutty taste. The unroasted pecan
nut, had the highest acceptance in those parameters.
This was chosen as the most attractive in the
parameters of appearance and consistency because
toasted nut butter had a slightly viscous appearance
and consistency that which did not please the judges.
This changes in consistency also coincided with
what was reported for soy-butter where it was found,
that the roasted altered the viscosity and texture
significantly [19], this are because the moisture
content of nuts was reduced [2], [20]. This was very
important because, the consistency and texture are of
the sensory properties of foods that play a major role
in consumer appeal, buying decisions and eventual
consumption. It was found to be the single most
dominant attribute of consumer preference of foods
[2], [21]. The appearance was influenced for several
factors between these the color, and this is another
important attribute used by consumers to judge the
acceptability of food products [22]
As for the parameters of smell and nutty
taste these were affected by the action of heat, as in
many cases in which conventional heat treatment is
used. Changes in the taste were because in the case
of roasted nuts, the volatile profiles are highly
complex and are composed of compounds arising
not only from lipid oxidation, but also from Maillard
reaction, Strecker degradation, and caramelization of
sugars [2], [23], and these combinations influenced
the judges selection.
Sample Tukey analysis HSD 0.05
Appearance Pleasant Consistency Nut smell Pleasant smell
Toast 4.20b 4.86b 4.58b 4.7b 4.96b
Unroasted 5.38a 5.62a 5.26a 5.64a 6.16a
Sample Tukey analysis HSD 0.05
Nut taste Sweet taste Salt content Pleasant taste General taste
Toast 4.82b 4.0a 4.12a 4.52a 4.68a
Unroasted 5.56a 4.0a 4.24a 4.5a 4.96a
Table 2. Analysis of means by the Tukey test HSD p=0.05 of sensory characteristics of two pecan (Carya
Illinoensis K var Pawnee) nut butters.
The principal component analysis (PC) for
toasted and unroasted pecan nut butters samples
(Table 3) shows that 75% of the variation is
explained by the principal components PC1, PC2
and PC3; the PC1 was influenced by attributes of
consistency, pleasant smell, nutty taste, pleasant
taste and general taste, the PC2 by sweet taste and
salt content and PC3 by appearance, pleasant color
and consistenscy to the palate (Table 4).
Number Eigen value Proportion Accumulated
1 5.54 0.50 0.50
2 1.78 0.16 0.67
3 0.91 0.08 0.75
4 0.68 0.06 0.81
5 0.60 0.06 0.86
6 0.39 0.04 0.90
7 0.34 0.03 0.93
8 0.28 0.03 0.96
Table 3. Values of sensory analysis of two pecan (Carya Illinoensis K var Pawnee) nut butters

Variable PC1 PC2 PC3
Appearance 0.283 -0.303 0.365
Pleasant color 0.267 -0.331 0.376
Consistency 0.314 -0.231 0.357
Smell nut 0.265 -0.424 -0.47
Pleasant smell 0.305 -0.35 -0.375
Nut taste 0.349 0.06 -0.257
Sweet taste 0.29 0.304 -0.211
Salt content 0.239 0.318 -0.05
Pleasant taste 0.351 0.3 -0.089
General taste 0.351 0.291 0.072
Table 4. First three principal components of the sensory analysis of pecan nut butters (Carya Illinoensis K var
Pawnee)
By plotting (Figure 1) the results of the first
major component against the second, there is no
defined trend as to which were the best samples for
the consumer, which is a positive aspect because it
means that both samples had approximately the
same acceptance and can be used according to the
taste of the consumer, with similar beneficial health
effects. This is consistent with the Tukey test of the
general taste parameter.
Figure 1. Comparison of the first major component
versus the second major component in sensory
analysis of samples of pecan (Carya Illinoensis K
var Pawnee) nut butters
IV. CONCLUSIONS
The two nut butters of pecan (Carya
Illinoensis K), roasted and unroasted, were well
accepted by consumers. The parameters that most
influenced the choice and acceptability of butter
were the appearance and consistency. The toasting
process significantly affected the consistency of the
butter since it altered the viscosity and texture by
reducing the moisture content of nuts and changed
the color, smell and taste of the product.
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Elaboration and sensory evaluation of pecan nut butter (Carya Illinoensis K) suitable for people with chronic diseases

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Elaboration and sensory evaluation of pecan nut butter (Carya Illinoensis K) suitable for people with chronic diseases