Aaruul - a Mongolian dried curdled milk : evaluation of the consumer acceptance and the health aspect

Abstract: This study is part of a project that aims to investigate the possibility to develop food products that can offer quality and distinctive Mongolian advantage internationally. Different types of aaruul, a Mongolian traditional dried curdled milk, was investigated for its health aspects and acceptability among the international community in Ulaanbaatar. Various Mongolian dairy sources (milk from cow, yak, horse, goat and camel) were used to produce the aaruul and the possibility to develop aaruul from the different types of milk sources was assessed. 76 potential consumers evaluated the overall acceptance of six samples of aaruul (based on cow milk, yak milk, goat milk, camel milk, cow milk with the addition of dried sea buckthorn and cow milk with the addition of dried gojiberries). No aaruul based on horse milk were included in the acceptance test, due to the demonstrated inability of horse milk to form a curd when fermented. The results from this study indicate that aaruul does not extensively appeal to non-Mongolians. Aaruul based on cow milk with the addition of gojiberries had the highest acceptance of the six samples, but still it only reached to between “neither like or dislike” to “like it slightly” on the hedonic scale. A literature review showed that aaruul possess many health beneficial properties, such as being a good source of vitamins, minerals, healthy fatty acids and proteins. Mongolian aaruul is a food product that can offer quality and distinctive Mongolian advantage to the world. Mongolian aaruul does not only have health as an added value, but it also has a cultural aspect added to its features. In order to make aaruul more healthy and palatable a review of the process, further studies and sensory evaluations are recommended.