Quality Characteristics of Tofu Prepared with Herbs

Tofu samples with added herbs (green tea, rosemary, lavender and thyme) were prepared. The yield of the herb tofus was higher than that of the control tofu. The L value of the control tofu was higher than that of the herb tofus, whereas the b values were lower. The herb tofus had generally lower pH than the control tofu. Especially, lavender tofu showed the lowest pH. Under SEM examination, the control tofu showed a rough folding surface, whereas the green tea and lavender tofus had small air cell size and smooth surface. Most textural characteristics did not show significant difference among the tofu groups. However, chewiness and hardness of the thyme tofu were the lowest. In the sensory evaluation, the herb tofus had low scores in air cell size and a beany smell, but high scores in herb smell and hardness.