Exploring innovation in a traditional sweet pastry: Pastel de Nata

Pastel de Nata (Portuguese custard tart) is a traditional Portuguese pastry product, consumed in several parts of the world. Its popularity has led to the emergence of new products with similar characteristics as well as new versions of Pastel de Nata. The aim of this work was to develop an innovative food product inspired by Pastel de Nata. The product developed has a spherical shape and comprises a crispy coating of puff pastry, a filling of Pastel de Nata custard and, in the center, a cassia cinnamon-flavored reverse spherification. The development of the layers was made possible by the application of hydrocolloids (alginate, xanthan gum, locust bean gum and κ-carrageenan). The product developed was designated Pastel de Nata Bonbon (PNB). The different layers of the Pastel de Nata Bonbon were optimized according to their texture and rheological behavior. The mechanical strength of the reverse spherification was tested by uniaxial compression. The texture and rheological properties of PNB custard were crucial to achieve a product with a global perception similar to the traditional product. The crispy coating of the PNB was analyzed by simple penetration. The texture profile analysis and rheological parameters were compared to the same tests performed on a traditional Pastel de Nata, established as reference (RPN). Analysis of the volatile compounds was performed by Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction in Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry equipment. The acceptability of the PNB was ascertained through sensory analysis by a group of untrained tasters. The acceptability of the PNB was satisfactory (52% of the tasters rated it as pleasant and 36% as very pleasant), and its flavor was associated to the traditional Pastel de Nata by most of the tasters (65%).