Acceptability of tropical fruit pulps enriched with vegetal/microbial protein sources: viscosity, importance of nutritional information and changes on sensory analysis for different age groups

The combination of products traditionally consumed with other components with the alleged classification of functional food has become a continuous reality, if not a necessity. This article investigated the supplementation of tropical fruit pulps (acerola—Malpighia emarginata, guava—Psidium guajava, passion fruit—Passiflora edulis and mandarin—Citrus reticulata), with 5–10% (m/V) on vegetal/microbial protein sources (soy protein, beer yeast and bee pollen). Viscosity and colour analysis were carried out and differences between fruit pulp with no addition and those supplemented were verified, with a specific importance to soy protein, which increased 5–10 times pulps viscosity, while the remaining supplemented formulations, 1.5–3 times. Between the sensory factors (colour, flavour, aroma and appearance), flavour significantly influenced the acceptance of the product (p < 0.05). The nutritional information provided to tasters, as well as to specific age groups (children, elderly and youngsters/adults), significantly increased the product’s acceptance; with values ranging between 70 and 80% in some cases, demonstrating the importance of cognitive response on those factors.