Sensory characteristics and consumer liking of sausages with 10% fat and added rye or wheat bran

Improving the nutritional profile of sausages through the addition of dietary fiber might affect appetite, sensory characteristics, and liking differently depending on the fiber source. This study investigates the sensory characteristics and consumer acceptance of sausages with 10% (w/w) fat and added rye or wheat bran. Sensory descriptive attributes (odor, appearance, texture, and flavor) of rye bran sausage (RBS) and wheat bran sausage (WBS) were evaluated by a trained sensory panel (n = 9). A sausage with wheat flour (WFS) and two commercial 20% (20%S) and 10% (10%S) (w/w) fat sausages were also included. Liking was investigated in consumer tests with two Danish target groups (49 children aged between six and nine and 24 parents). RBS and WBS were similar with regard to their sensory descriptive attributes, but the structure of these sausages was coarser and the color was more brown than the other sausages. RBS was similar to the commercial 10%S with regard to several sensory attributes and liking, whereas WBS was the least juicy, had a higher intensity of cereal odor and flavor, and the lowest liking. Improving the nutritional profile of sausages by the addition of dietary fibers might influence appetite, sensory characteristics and liking differently depending on the fiber source. The objective of this study was to investigate the sensory characteristics of sausages with 10% w/w fat and added rye or wheat bran reaching a final dietary fiber content of 2.4 and 3.2/100 g, respectively. Addition of dietary fiber from rye bran to sausages represents a promising approach to improve the healthiness of conventional sausages while maintaining consumer liking.