Influencia de la incorporación de aloe vera en yacón (Smallanthus sonchifolius Poepp. & Endl) mediante impregnación a vacío en la aceptación sensorial del producto Influence of aloe vera incorporation on yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius Poepp. &Endl) through vacuum impregnation on the sensory acceptance of the product

Consumer acceptability and the statement of differences among products are made through the sensory analysis, a scientific discipline by which the sensory assessor evokes, analyzes, measures, and interprets human responses to stimulus perceived by the senses. For this reason, it is necessary to do this kind of studies in order to launch new products to the market, such as yacon impregnated with aloe vera. This research was aimed to determine the influence of aloe vera incorporation on yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius poepp & endl) through vacuum impregnation on the sensory acceptance of the product. The methodology of descriptive analysis was used for the relative quantitative categorization by using a non-structured or non-measured scale of 12 cm with semi-trained panelists. For analyzing the data, the statistical software XLSTAT was used. Sensory evaluation showed that p- value for color was 0.101 and for taste was 0.045, demonstrating that there is no significant difference for color (p > 0.05); being taste significant in this analysis (p < 0.05). The treatment with the lowest intensity of acidity perceived by the assessors was that using a pressure of 275 mbar and 22,1 minutes, getting a score of 6,6 according to the non-measured scales. The highest acidity perceived from all the samples is not rejectable, since when combining the proper sweetness of yacon with a slight acidity of aloe vera, the result is delicious.