Improvement of the organoleptic properties of a product under the requirements of a regulatory framework of Protected Geographical Indication: the "sobao pasiego"

The "sobao pasiego" is one of the most representative bakery and pastry products of Cantabria (north Spain) and consists mainly of butter, wheat flour, sugar and eggs. Although the legislation on Protected Geographical Indication (IGP) allows the use of minority ingredients such as honey, dextrose, glucose, salt or some additives and preservatives. The recognition as IGP identifies the product as original from a specific place and as a holder of certain specific characteristics and quality. In this particular case, since being recognized as IGP implies wide technical restrictions, the opportunities to achieve an improvement at the organoleptic level focused on four fundamental items: external appearance of the product, colour of the top layer, internal colour and general texture. The statistical analysis exhibited that the final choice is mainly determined by the visual aspects above the taste or the smell. However, the improvements addressed with respect to the texture, allowed a significant impact on its organoleptic quality, especially with the passage of the shelf life of the product. According to the temporary acceptability study carried out, it was estimated that, after some time from the production date, 7 out of 10 consumers will prefer the reformulated sobao.