Sensory properties of aqueous dispersions of protein‐rich extracts from Chlorella protothecoides at neutral and acidic pH

BACKGROUND Water‐soluble proteins extracted from the heterotrophically cultivated microalga Chlorella protothecoides have been shown to have a good solubility over a broad pH range, which makes them a promising candidate for beverage formulations. This study investigated the sensory properties of dispersions of a protein‐rich extract from C. protothecoides at neutral and pH 3. RESULTS Sensory acceptance tests of the pure extract revealed an overall low acceptance at pH 7 without sucrose addition. Sensory acceptance was significantly ( P  ≤ 0.05) increased by lowering the pH to 3 with citric acid, and the addition of 50 g kg −1 sucrose. Here, overall positive sensory acceptance ratings were achieved up to a protein extract concentration of 40 g kg −1 . Basic taste evaluations showed only low bitterness scores and no significant ( P  > 0.05) increase in bitterness with decreasing pH. CONCLUSION It is suggested that protein‐rich extracts from C. protothecoides have promising sensory properties in beverage formulations. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.