2025-12-05 コペンハーゲン大学
Researchers investigated how fermenting winged kelp (Alaria esculenta) can affect the taste, texture and consumer acceptance of two types of spreadable products: cream cheese and baobab spread. Photos: Ryan Hodnett, Wikimedia (left), and Insung Yoon, Unsplash (right).
＜関連情報＞
- https://news.ku.dk/all_news/2025/fermentation-makes-ocean-greens-more-palatable/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666833525002242
海藻（アラリア・エスクレンタ）を含むクリームチーズとバオバブスプレッドの官能的および物理的特性と乳酸菌発酵が消費者の受容性に与える影響 Sensory and physical characterization of cream cheese and baobab spreads containing seaweed (Alaria esculenta) and effect of LAB fermentation on consumer acceptance
Aikaterina Vasileiou, Astrid Lowies Mølgaard Jensen, Supansa Y. Westman Dragana Stanojevic, Eva Nordberg Karlsson, Maren Sæther, Lilia Ahrné, Wender LP Bredie
Future Foods Available online: 19 September 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fufo.2025.100765
Highlights
- Fermentation of A. esculenta improved the sensory quality of the spreads.
- Cream cheese with fermented A. esculenta had higher consumer acceptance.
- The spreads with fermented A. esculenta were firmer than with untreated A. esculenta.
- Both spreads showed good storage stability after the addition of A. esculenta.
Abstract
In Western countries, brown seaweeds as a component in a meal are not well-accepted, mainly due to their ‘fishy’ and ‘ocean-like’ flavors. Therefore, ameliorating these notes might be essential for achieving wider acceptance of minimally processed seaweeds as ingredients in foods. In this study, brown seaweed Alaria esculenta (Badderlocks) was fermented with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (formerly Lactobacillus plantarum) and included in two products (cream cheese and creamy baobab spread). Their sensory and physical properties were compared with those enriched with untreated (fresh frozen) and lactic acidified A. esculenta at 10 or 15 % (w/w) in these foods. Consumer testing (n = 160) was conducted on cream cheese, comparing the overall liking of those with 10 % untreated to those with 10 % fermented A. esculenta flakes. In the sensory test, the spreads containing untreated seaweed had a stronger ‘seafood-like’ flavor and ‘harbor-like’ odor than those with fermented seaweed. The spreads’ texture and color varied, but pH, water activity, and moisture remained relatively constant during storage. The participants liked the cream cheese with the fermented seaweed more than the one with untreated seaweed. These findings support that seaweed fermentation is a promising processing route for developing new, functional seaweed-based foods with broader consumer acceptance.
