In vitro measurements of intragastric rheological properties and their relationships with the potential satiating capacity of cheese pies with konjac glucomannan

• Konjac glucomannan (KGM) was added to cheese pies to create a sensation of fullness.
• The KGM pies were prepared in such a way that the gum was not fully hydrated.
• After oral plus gastric in vitro digestion, the KGM pies developed solid-like weak gels.
• The KGM pies' textural features should favour/elicit expectations of satiating capacity.
• Sensory liking by non-informed consumers decreased as the KGM doses increased.

Konjac glucomannan (KGM) is consistently associated with creating a sense of fullness while slowing down physiological processes associated with food digestion and nutrient absorption. Formulating food with KGM is difficult because it develops very high viscosity in aqueous solution. In the present study, cheese pies containing increasing amounts of KGM were prepared in such a way that the gum was not fully hydrated. The aim was to achieve formulations with high doses of KGM and to delay development of the gum's rheological properties until it reaches the gastric tract. The pies and the gum alone were then submitted to oral plus gastric in vitro digestion and their rheological properties were measured and compared. The viscoelastic properties increased as the KGM content of the pies rose. In addition, the digested pies were more effective at forming solid-like structures than the digested gum alone at the same concentration. The instrumental texture measurements of the pies indicated that higher KGM levels produced harder and more cohesive pies. These texture attributes would potentially enhance the expected satiating capacity of the pies. When 118 consumers with no information about the pies' composition or the health benefits of KGM performed a hedonic sensory test, their liking for the pies decreased in line with the increases in KGM level in high-KGM formulations.

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