Sensory comparison of doughnuts fried in trans fat-free oil to those fried in oil containing trans fats

This sensory analysis study sought to determine consumer preferences of two doughnut frying oils for the same trans fat-free yeast raised doughnut rings according to taste, texture, appearance, overall liking, color, moisture content and sweetness characteristics. Specifically, the aim was to indicate the acceptability of substituting trans fat-free oil based on the sensory characteristics of untrained consumer panelists. The doughnuts were fried in a trans fat and trans fat-free oil for testing, and the panelists were asked to rate each doughnut on various sensory attributes and indicate their preference of doughnut. There were no significant differences between the two doughnuts based on the appearance, taste, texture, sweetness, moisture content and overall liking. The doughnut fried in trans fat-free oil rated significantly different based on color where the doughnut was perceived slightly lighter in color than the trans fat version. Overall, the 107 out of 197 taste panelists preferred the trans fat-free doughnut to the regular version, while 18 out of 197 preferred both doughnuts equally. Based on these findings, the industry might consider using the trans fat-free versions of frying oils for frying doughnuts, pastries and other bakery items in order to reduce trans fats in foods and to lower heart disease in the American population.