Journal of Food Products Marketing

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Sensory Comparison of a Soy Enhanced Chocolate

Candy and Regular Candy by Children Age 9-16

Peter L. Bordi , Constance Cole , Marianne Borja & Colleen Conley

To cite this article: Peter L. Bordi , Constance Cole , Marianne Borja & Colleen Conley (2003)
Sensory Comparison of a Soy Enhanced Chocolate Candy and Regular Candy by Children Age
9-16, Journal of Food Products Marketing, 9:2, 1-10, DOI: 10.1300/J038v09n02_01

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J038v09n02_01

Published online: 08 Sep 2008.

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 Sensory Comparison of a Soy Enhanced
Chocolate Candy and Regular Candy
by Children Age 9-16
Peter L. Bordi
Constance Cole
Marianne Borja
Colleen Conley

ABSTRACT. Increasing soy in the American diet has been recom-

mended as means to lower cholesterol. The objective of this study was
the comparison of a soy enhanced reduced fat chocolate peanut butter
candy and a usually formulated chocolate peanut butter candy. Soy Pro-
tein Isolate (SPI) was added to the normal formulation of peanut butter
filling for a chocolate candy product. The SPI functioned as a fat substi-
tute by simple displacement. This resulted in a product five grams lower
in fat, five grams higher in protein, with seventy-five fewer calories and
an increase in calcium to 213 mg. Sensory comparisons between the two
products was conducted among youth participating in a take your child
to work program at Du Pont Protein Technologies Incorporated, who
were frequent snack eaters and chocolate consumers. Results of the sen-

Peter L. Bordi is Assistant Professor of HRRM, School of Hotel, Restaurant and Recre-
ation Management, 201 Mateer Building, The Pennsylvania State University, University
Park, PA 16802 (E-mail: plbjr@psu.edu).
Constance Cole is Graduate Assistant, School of Hotel, Restaurant and Recreation
Management, 201 Mateer Building, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park,
PA 16802 (E-mail: crc142@psu.edu).
Marianne Borja is University Professor, Nutrition and Dietetic Department, Marywood
University, Scranton, PA.
Colleen Conley is Sensory Evaluation Manager, Dupont Protein Technologies, St.
Louis, MS (E-mail: cconley@protein.com).
Journal of Food Products Marketing, Vol. 9(2) 2003
http://www.haworthpress.com/store/product.asp?sku=J038
2003 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
10.1300/J038v09n02_01 1
2 JOURNAL OF FOOD PRODUCTS MARKETING

sory testing indicated with an ANOVA test that the overall likings were
not found to be significantly different between the soy enhanced and
control candy products. The sensory indices used in testing were: liking
of appearance, liking of overall flavor, liking filling flavor, liking choco-
late flavor, liking texture, amount of filling and amount of coating. This
reformulated product was accepted by youth as an equal to the already
marketed test product. Snacks and baked goods contribute a majority
proportion of fat intake in children. Most of these snacks are procured
from vending machines. Formulating these snack products to a healthier
level raises the feasibility of reducing fat in the diet of youths. [Article
copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service:
1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: <docdelivery@haworthpress.com> Website:
<http://www.HaworthPress.com> 2003 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights
reserved.]

KEYWORDS. Soy Protein Isolate, school age snacking, vending ma-

chine snacks, fat substitute

INTRODUCTION

Prevalence of overweight and obesity have increased in children and

adolescents age 6-19 in recent years. In a news release from National
Center for Health Statistics, the numbers indicate an increase from 4.5%
in 1963-1970 to 13.5% in 1999 (USDH&HS, 1999). This is based on
heights and weights received from initial NHANES data in 1999. A
smaller increase of 11% was found when comparing 1999 data to
NHANES III data collected in 1988-94. The US census bureau estimates
the population under 18 for 2001 to be 71 million placing the number of
overweight under 18 at an estimated 9.6 million for 2001. Body Mass In-
dex (BMI) was used as an indicator of overweight. Children both male
and female with a BMI value above the 95th percentile on sex specific
growth charts are considered overweight. Overweight and obesity is the
number 2 health indicator selected by Healthy People 2010 (USDH&
HS, 2000). The indicators for Healthy People 2010 are chosen based on
ability to motivate changes in public health issues. Genetics, psycho-
social and nutritional issues are all cited as contributing factors in the de-
velopment of obesity (Caroli and Lagravinese, 2002).
This increase in predominance of overweight children and adoles-
cents is causing a shift in focus on their nutritional status from under-
 Bordi et al. 3

nutrition and food insecurity to over-nutrition and hyperlipidemia

(Nicklas et al., 2001). Caution should be exercised to assure intake sta-
tus of energy and micronutrients are maintained and growth failure
avoided (Ortega et al., 2001). Calcium intake is reported below recom-
mended levels in both females and adolescents (USDH&HS Alaimo et
al., 1994). Low calcium intake is linked to osteoporosis, hypertension,
and some forms of cancer (Reed et al., 2002).
Contributing to the increasing incidence of overweight is poor di-
etary practices. Population-wide poor dietary practices are positively
associated risk factors with coronary heart disease, diabetes, increased
risk of infection, and cancer. Adolescents nutritional data suggest that
adolescents are at risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer and osteoporo-
sis (Lytle, 2002). In recent years, the mortality rate from CVD has de-
creased. There has been improvement in total cholesterol levels within
the population, and it is debated if the decrease is due to treatment of the
population at high risk or population wide intervention (Goff et al.,
2002). Continued adherence to population wide interventions such as
the American Heart Associations (AHA) recommended dietary guide-
lines is important to help reduce these figures further. Extra attention to
diet in children is merited especially in light of the fact that total choles-
terol has been positively associated with saturated fat consumption in
children and adults (Nicklas et al., 2002).
AHA recommends consuming less than 300 mg of cholesterol, limiting
fat consumption to less than 30% of total calories (Krauss et al., 2000), and
decreasing the percentages of total calories from saturated fat (SF), mono
unsaturated fatty acid (MUFA), and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) to
10% for each. Dietary recommendations for fat from the American Acad-
emy of Pediatrics (AAP) for children over the age of 2 are the same as
those for adults by the AHA (AAP Committee on Nutrition, 1992).
Healthier snack selections for children especially in school vending
machines would improve dietary intake. Currently bakery goods and
snacks have been seen to contribute as much as 58% of the total dietary
fat intake (Witschi et al., 1990). This is calculated to be about 375
kilocalories per individual. A separate study revealed that most snacks
in a group of adolescents were obtained from the school store or vend-
ing machine (Ezell et al., 1985). Total fat and added sugar are reported
to comprise 50% of the energy intake of children and adolescents
(Munoz et al., 1997). Offering lower fat or healthier versions of tradi-
tional snacks would improve dietary intake. Another dietary change
that can be made to achieve the recommendation is to add more soy to
the dietary intake while reducing fat intake (Krauss et al., 2000).
4 JOURNAL OF FOOD PRODUCTS MARKETING

Two health advantages of soy are the reduction in cholesterol and a

decrease in the calciuric effect when compared with other proteins
(Messina et al., 2001). Both of these benefits are of particular interest
when looking at adolescent diet. Peak bone mass is a genetically
predetermined amount but calcium needs are increased in adolescents
so that peak bone mass may be obtained (Spear, 2002). Protein intake is
identified as having a positive effect on bone mineral density (BMD)
(Dawson-Hughes and Harris, 2002). Soy isoflavones in soy protein are
suspected as protective agent for BMD in studies of Asian women
(Greendale et al., 2002). As with the effects of soy on cholesterol, there
are no studies isolating one bioactive component to credit with the
positive effects experienced with soy consumption, but when combined
with soy protein, benefit is realized (Alekel et al., 2000).

PURPOSE

The purpose of the study was to determine childrens acceptance of a

chocolate peanut butter meltaway candy bar formulated with 4 grams of
SUPRO soy protein isolate per serving compared to a control chocolate
peanut butter meltaway product.

METHODOLOGY

Methods and Materials

The product development team included a food scientist, research

chef and sensory consultant. The first task was to define the product
quality characteristics that affected consumer acceptance, nutritional
value and cost. The criteria are defined in Table 1.
The reformulated product contained four major ingredients: sugar, pea-
nut butter, soy isolated protein and chocolate. The chocolate coating had to
remain equal on both products limiting the reduction of fat for the product
to the filling. The objective was to incorporate as much soy protein as pos-
sible, while maintaining the sensory quality indices. Thirty-two trials were
run to determine when the product reached the maximum level of soy pro-
tein while retaining the consistency necessary to be processed.
As shown in Table 2, the final soy-enhanced candy bar contained 8
grams (16%) of the RDA for protein and 213 milligrams (21%) of the
DRI for Calcium. The regular candy bar offers 3 grams of protein and
 Bordi et al. 5

TABLE 1. Product Quality Characteristics

Categories Quality Indices Measurement Methods

Sensory criteria
Nutritional value
Storage property
Appearance Sensory evaluation
Color of filling
Texture of filling
Taste
Protein content Calculation method
Shelf life Based on previous product

TABLE 2. Comparison of the Nutritional Value of the Soy-Enhanced Chocolate

and Regular Chocolate

Nutrient Soy-enhanced bar Regular chocolate bar

Serving Size 42.5 g 43 g
Kcal 228 300 kcal
Protein 8.0 g (4 g soy) 3g
Carbohydrate 20 g 23 g
Fat 14 g 19 g
Saturated fat 7g 8g
Calcium 213 mg N/A

minimal amounts of calcium. The soy-enhanced candy bar may be con-

sidered a good source of protein and an excellent source of calcium ac-
cording to FDA label regulations. After the initial nutrient content was
determined, a company was sought to produce the item in larger quanti-
ties. Several different companies were contacted; however, a candy
manufacturing company was selected in central Pennsylvania to pro-
duce the candy bar. After several trial runs, a production run of 50
pounds of soy-enhanced candy bars and 50 pounds of regular candy
bars were manufactured and shipped to the sensory analyst.

SUBJECTS AND PROCEDURES

Twenty-nine children, 26 girls and 3 males, aged 9 to 16 years old vol-

unteered to serve as subjects. These children were recruited as participants
in Bring Your Daughter to Work Day sponsored by DuPont Protein
Technologies. The investigators trained the children to use the food prefer-
6 JOURNAL OF FOOD PRODUCTS MARKETING

ence sensory evaluation instrument. Each characteristic on the scale was

described thoroughly. The children used a 9-point hedonic acceptance
scale that was validated by P&K (Kroll, 1990). The scale ranged from 1 =
super bad to 9 = super good for the attributes of appearance, taste, and over-
all liking. The children also responded to how frequently they would like to
eat the candy bars with 1 = never to 6 = daily. The candy bars were un-
wrapped and served in a sequential monadic design, in which the products
are seen one at a time and taken away before the next sample is served.
Each product was seen in each serving position an equal number of times.

ANALYSES

The principal statistical analyses consisted of a paired t test in which

a confidence level of p < .05 was established for statistical purposes.
Descriptive statistics were also used to further describe the data.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The paired t tests results indicated no significant differences (p < .05) oc-
curred between the control and the soy enhanced candy bars for appear-
ance (t = 1.314, p = .200), taste (t = 1.22, p = .232), overall acceptability (t =
1.338, p = .192), and how frequently the subjects would like to consume
the candy bars (t = 1.720, p = .097). Table 3 indicates the mean scores and
standard deviation for the control and soy enhanced candy bars.
The findings of the study indicate that the soy enhanced candy bar
was well accepted by the children. The mean scores for both the control
and soy enhanced candy bars on the sensory attributes were above
seven on a nine-point scale, which indicates that the subjects liked both
products. The mean scores for sensory characteristics on the control
were slightly higher; however, there were no significant differences (p
< 0.05) between the control and the soy-enhanced product. This indi-
cates that both products are acceptable. Similar results were found when
an adult employee population tested the products (Bordi et al., 2002).

APPLICATIONS

Snacking itself is a significant source of energy, increasing and de-

creasing snacks has no effect on the caloric intake of subsequent meals
 Bordi et al. 7

TABLE 3. Mean Scores and Standard Deviations for Sensory Characteristics

of the Control and Soy Enhanced Reduced Fat Candy Bars

Sensory Group Mean Std. Deviation

Characteristic
Controlled candy bar 7.8621 1.05979
Appearance
Soy-enhanced candy bar 7.5862 1.21059
Controlled candy bar 7.7586 1.55046
Taste
Soy-enhanced candy bar 7.3448 1.28940
Overall Controlled candy bar 7.6552 1.42116
Acceptability
Soy-enhanced candy bar 7.2069 1.20651
Frequency of Controlled candy bar 4.2414 1.29987
Consumption
Soy-enhanced candy bar 3.7931 1.26433

Mean score for appearance, taste and overall acceptability based on evaluation by 29 sub-
jects on possible scores of 1 to 9 (1 = super bad and 9 = super good). Mean for how frequently
the 29 subjects would eat the products on possible score of 1 to 6 (1 = never and 6 = daily).

(Levitsky, 2002). The caloric intake from snacks is an energy source in-
dependent of meals. Snacking prevalence among children has increased
from 1977-1996, in 1996 a reported 88-94% of those participating in
Continuing Survey of Food Intake by Individuals (CSFII) under the age
of 18 consumed snacks (Jahns, 2001). Since children consume at least
1-2 snacks per day (Cross, 1994) and frequently snack on candy bars (Si-
mon-Morton, 1990), it is important to provide the children with a product
that tastes good and is healthier than the traditional candy bar. The soy en-
hanced candy bar is lower in total fat, higher in protein, lower in calories
and contains soy protein. According to the results, the soy protein en-
hanced candy bar was well accepted by the children in the study. Possible
applications for this product would be vending machines in schools,
school stores, public events that cater to children, and general retail sales.
A study of vending machines showed that 60% of the vending machines lo-
cated in secondary schools offer candy bars, while only 27% offered a low-fat
snack choice (Story, 1996). Vending sales for 2001 are $24.34 billion, 25.6%
($6.23 billion) of this is snack and candy revenue (Automatic Merchandiser,
2002). School stores are often run by student organizations and 80% of the
stores sell candy and candy bars. Snacks sold in 14 school stores during an as-
sessment week totaled 10,219 with a fat content (0-63 grams each) totaling
76,023 grams of fat (Wildey, 2000). If only 25% of those snacks consumed
from school stores were candy bars and those 25% were reformulated the re-
duction in fat would be 12,773 grams of fat or 16.8%.
8 JOURNAL OF FOOD PRODUCTS MARKETING

Table 4 illustrates the calculated difference the reformulated candy

bar would have on an individuals dietary intake of fats and calories.
The intake was calculated using the NHANES III data for ages 6-15 and
the difference between soy enhanced and regular candy bar is a 1% re-
duction in total dietary fat intake. There is potential to lower the per-
centage of fat in diet from 34.5% to 33.5% putting the age group of 6-15
closer to dietary recommendations by 1%. This product is not the only
option to lower fat intake but acceptability of the product, and estab-
lished snacking patterns increase the potential feasibility for this inter-
vention to achieve a goal of 1% reduction in fat intake in age group 6-15
while increasing calcium intake.
The use of reformulated products especially those that are reduced in
fat are a means to facilitate change in the diet. Increase in products and
availability had been a targeted area for improvement by Healthy Peo-
ple 2000. The food industry surpassed the target goal of Healthy People
2000 by having more than 5,000 reduced fat processed foods to the mar-
ket by 1998. There is still a need to continue to expand the number of re-
duced fat products available for consumption.
Soy protein products can serve as a fat substitute when reformulating
current recipes. The soy protein used for this reformulation is an iso-
lated soy protein that was separated by water extraction. Water extrac-
tion leaves intact the bioactive components of soy (Lusas and Riaz,
1995). An individual component in soy has not been identified as caus-
ative in the health benefits derived from soy (Merz-Demlow et al.,
2000). The bioactive components of soy work synergistically with pro-
tein to achieve the health benefits noted for soy (Erdman, 2000).

TABLE 4. Calculated Change in Dietary Intake Produced with Soy-Enhanced

Candy Bar

Total Fat Change Change

Kcal grams Kcals % of Total to total Change in % of
NHANES NHANES from fat in Kcal fat in Kcals fat in
III III fat diet change grams from fat diet

Age 1,897 73 657 34.63% 1,822 68 612 33.59% Age

6-11 6-11
Age 2,218 85 765 34.49% 2,143 80 720 33.60% Age
12-15 12-15
 Bordi et al. 9

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