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148 IV.Resultados y discusión. Capítulo II
et al., 2003). Although an oat fermented product is not a strong gel, the
observed network in the sample micrographs (Figure 4) can be associated to
a weak gel whose aggregation level increased with time, promoting the
effective volume reduction of the polysaccharide network. This effect
increased the mouthfeel perception of the oat fermented milk, since a
smaller amount of continuous phase was trapped in the network, leading to
less free movement of the overall molecules. This sensation is positive in
terms of consumer acceptance, since they prefer highly viscous drinkable
yoghurts, which is what this oat fermented product would be (Allgeyer et
al., 2010).
The flavour of all the fermented samples was better accepted than
original oat milk (data not shown), which means that the fermentation
process positively modified the flavour attribute, probably due to the
synthesis of aromatic compounds by the starter bacteria. The results
obtained in this residual oat flavour showed no tendency, which would be
attributable to progressive changes in the volatile compounds. Cheng (2010)
reported that, during storage, the volatile constituents in yoghurt may
change depending on the starters, milk formulation and storage conditions.
From a holistic point of view, around 60% of the panelists accepted oat
fermented milk (scored the products ≈ 3 or more) with the exception of
samples stored for 28 days. Therefore, despite the viability of starters (Table
3), the shelf life of the designed fermented oat milk should not be the same
as standard yoghurts (28 days).