Optimization and sensory evaluation of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) - chili pepper (Capsicum annum) hot sauce formulation for commercialization potential

Abstract

Sweet potato is considered an alternative staple crop, and its use is typically limited to traditional applications.  The study aims to use sweet potato, especially the non-marketable variety, as the primary base ingredient for developing a hot sauce.  Several studies have examined sauces that use tomato, banana, and oil in other Asian and Western foods, and no records of hot sauces were identified; hence, this study.  A product development experimental study in a three-level, three-factor mixture design, following the set plan 11.6 of Cochran and Cox (1957) for sensory evaluation, was used to optimize the formulation of hot sauce products.  The sweet potato-chili sauce has a rust-brown to red-orange color and a well-blended flavor of sweetness, sourness, and spiciness.  The optimum formulation was attained at 52% w/w sweet potato, 37% v/w vinegar, and 11% w/w chili, with a predicted acceptability rating of 7, which was moderate on the 9-point hedonic scale.  Seventy-two percent (72%) of the respondents, composed of 45% of females and 27% of males, preferred the formulated sweet potato-chili sauce compared to the commercially available sriracha. This implies a good probability of market survival in terms of consumer acceptability.