Development and Optimization of Peanut-Based Beverages: A Malawian Consumer-Driven Approach

Development studies of peanut-based beverages have been ongoing for many years, but there are still challenges, especially with their sensory properties and, ultimately, consumer acceptability. As a result, peanut-based beverages are rarely found on the market, even in developed countries. The current study used mixture design and product matching approaches to develop and optimize peanut-based beverages. Sensory drivers of consumer acceptability were also determined. Optimization focused on maximizing overall consumer acceptability by varying two independent variables that constituted 16% of the beverage by weight: peanut paste (PP) and malted milk powder (MMP). The optimal proportions of the PP and any type of MMP, in the two-component mixture, were 0.6 and 0.4, respectively. Maintaining all other factors as constant, model validation results showed that the model could predict overall liking of the peanut-based beverages with 96% accuracy when the proportions of PP and MMP are known. The samples that were perceived, by the consumers, to be thick, creamy, and smooth had significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) overall liking scores than those that were perceived to be watery, grainy, and whitish. Based on the findings, acceptable peanut-based beverages were developed and can be scaled up despite using non-defatted peanuts in the formulation.