Consumer acceptance of egg white partially substituted with mushrooms and mushroom-egg white flavor pairing

Mushroom possesses a distinctive sensory quality and unique nutrients. Its pairing with egg white and consumer acceptance has never been investigated. In this study, formulated mushroom-egg white patty prototypes (white and crimini mushrooms at 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30%, either oven roasted or steamed) were evaluated by 380 participants for acceptance and intensity of nine sensory attributes. Mushroom-egg white patty prototypes received positive hedonic scores for overall acceptance and the likeability of overall flavor, mushroom flavor, meaty flavor, egg white flavor, overall texture, and firmness. Consumer overall acceptance was most strongly and positively correlated with overall flavor liking, followed by overall appearance and overall texture likeability. Additionally, the likeability of flavor pairing between mushroom and egg white was rated positively across all 16 patties, indicating a good flavor match of mushroom and egg white. Consumer hedonic levels toward mushroom patties were significantly (p ≤ .05) impacted by cooking method, mushroom type, and mushroom level. The addition of mushroom was acceptable up to 20%, with steam method and crimini mushroom most preferred. The results provided new insights into consumer attitudes and potentially important sensory factors affecting the acceptability of mushroom-egg white patties, consequently increasing the utilization and consumption of mushrooms and mushroom-blended products.