Author(s)

Solange Burri, Isabel Tato, Maria Leonor Nunes, Rui Morais

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CBQF/Escola Superior de Biotecnologia-Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, Porto, Portugal.

The dislike food preferences that children registered regarding vegetables and fish compromise the exposure to those iodine sources and may contribute to cause a nutritional deficiency in this micronutrient, causing serious damage of the brain and the central nervous system. Functional foods are becoming well-established in the market, focused on by an adult consumer more interested in healthy eating habits but without the motivation to optimize natural food preparation or to promote a wide variety of food in their diet. This article presents evidence of a new functional product concept, 100% vegetable, fermented soya based and salted by a red algae, that was approved by 900 parents who chose the sensorial features: distinctive aroma (57.9%), soft texture (38.4%), sausage shape (21%) and attractive color (77.9%). Three different varieties were developed: carrot (50% w/w), sugar-beet (50% w/w) and tomato (40% w/w) mini sausages, with tofu (20% w/w) and 0.8 % (w/w) of seaweed, reflecting trends that the younger consumer demands. The sensorial tests performed, after quality control assays, received very satisfactory acceptance by the potential buyer.

Iodine, Children, Functional Product, Vegetable Sausages

S. Burri, I. Tato, M. Nunes and R. Morais, "Functional Vegetable-Based Sausages for Consumption by Children," Food and Nutrition Sciences, Vol. 2 No. 5, 2011, pp. 494-501. doi: 10.4236/fns.2011.25072.