Optimizing foam quality characteristics of model food using Taguchi-based fuzzy logic method

In this study, the effects of soy protein isolate (SPI) concentration (0%, 50%, and 100%), sonication time (10, 20, and 30 min), and whipping time (5, 10, and 15 min) on the quality characteristics of the model food foam were investigated and optimized. In order to maximize both foaming capacity (FC) and foam stability (FS), it was aimed to select the optimum process parameters using a Taguchi-based fuzzy logic method (TBFLM). The experiments were performed according to Taguchi L9 (3(3)) orthogonal design, and the effects of process parameters on foam quality characteristics were investigated by analysis of variance. Optimization results revealed that optimum FC and FS values were obtained with 50% SPI, 30 min sonication, and 10 min whipping. SPI concentration was the most effective factor for the responses in Taguchi single-response optimization. However, the whipping time has the greatest impact on the multiperformance characteristics index, accounting for 78.93% of the contribution to fuzzy logic multiresponse optimization. The verification experiments revealed that the TBFLM is a useful method for improving foam quality characteristics.