Physicochemical Properties and Consumer Acceptance of Tofu Incorporated with Yakong

Tofu has been playing an important role in people's daily diet in most of Asia and recently in North America due to several health-promoting functions, preventing and treating a number of chronic diseases such as cancer, coronary heart disease and osteoporosis. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of different levels of yakong incorporation (0, 5, 10, and 15%, w/w) in preparation of firm tofu. Quality parameters such as pH, titratable, moisture content, color, and consumer preference were determined, and their correlations were analysed. There were no significant differences in pH, titratable acidity, and moisture content due to different levels of yakong incorporation studied (p>0.05). A significant decrease in L* and b*-values whereas significant increase in a*-value was observed (p<0.05). Five percent yakong tofu received the most favorable mean scores with respect to color, texture, and overall acceptability. Correlation analysis revealed that yakong incorporation was well correlated with some of physicochemical properties as well as consumer preference.