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

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Sensory Science
• Product Development

Background:

• Peanut-based beverages face challenges in sensory properties and consumer acceptance, limiting market presence.
• Despite long-standing development efforts, commercialization remains limited due to these issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and optimize peanut-based beverages using mixture design and product matching.
• To identify key sensory drivers influencing consumer acceptability.
• To maximize overall consumer liking through ingredient proportion adjustments.

Main Methods:

• Employed mixture design methodology to optimize beverage formulation.
• Utilized product matching approaches to understand consumer perceptions.
• Varied peanut paste (PP) and malted milk powder (MMP) proportions (16% of beverage weight).

Main Results:

• Optimal proportions for peanut paste and malted milk powder were determined as 0.6 and 0.4, respectively.
• The developed model predicted overall liking with 96% accuracy.
• Beverages perceived as thick, creamy, and smooth received significantly higher liking scores.

Conclusions:

• Acceptable peanut-based beverages can be successfully developed and scaled up.
• Sensory attributes like texture (thick, creamy, smooth) are critical for consumer acceptance.
• Formulation using non-defatted peanuts is viable for creating desirable products.