Astaxanthin encapsulated in beads using ultrasonic atomizer and application in yogurt as evaluated by consumer sensory profile

This study was aimed to produce and examine properties of encapsulated natural astaxanthin in alginate-chitosan beads during 4 weeks' refrigerated storage and to evaluate consumer sensory profile driving consumer acceptability and purchase intent of yogurt containing such beads. The shrimp astaxanthin was encapsulated in matrices comprising the mixture of chitosan and alginate where alginate (1.2 g/100 mL) and chitosan (1.0 g/100 mL) resulted in an encapsulation efficiency of over 90%. Encapsulated astaxanthin maintained the DPPH scavenging activity greater than 50% whereas the iron chelating assay demonstrated the ability below 50%. Consumers (n = 130) evaluated yogurt containing astaxanthin beads for acceptability of appearance, colour, aroma, mouthfeel and overall liking. A binomial (yes/no) scale was employed to evaluate overall acceptance and purchase intent. The results revealed that overall liking score of yogurt with beads was over 6.0 (on the 9-point scale) with the positive acceptance (86.2%) and purchase intent (95.6%). Logistic regression analysis indicated that colour, aroma, taste and overall liking were significant factors affecting overall acceptance and purchase intent of yogurt containing astaxanthin beads.