Whole grain macaroni: Flavour interactions with sodium-reduced cheese sauce

•Bran flavour, wheat flavour, and bitter flavours correspond to increasing whole grain content.•Sodium-reduction in sauce did not affect bran flavour, wheat flavour, or bitter taste.•Volatile concentrations associated with macaroni decreased when sauce was added.

Despite whole grain products being excellent sources for nutrients, their bitterness and other off-flavours have generated disinterest in consumers. Pairing whole grain macaroni with a sodium-reduced cheese sauce may further compromise consumer acceptance. The objective of this research was to examine the change in flavour of whole grain macaroni via sensory and headspace analyses following the addition of a sodium-reduced cheese sauce. Descriptive analysis showed that macaroni increased in bran and wheat flavours as well as bitterness upon increasing whole grain content whereas starchy flavour and sweet taste had decreased. Although each attribute was uniquely affected by the addition of sauce, sauce type was not significant, suggesting that sodium reduction in whole grain macaroni and cheese did not impact its bitterness or bran flavour. Selected ion flow tube-mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS) was used to identify and quantify volatiles associated with macaroni and to measure any changes following addition of sauce. While concentration was positively correlated to whole grain content, compounds specific to macaroni reduced after the addition of sauce, likely caused by a physical barrier created by the sauce, which suppressed compound volatility.