Sucrose replacement: a sensory profile and time-intensity analysis of a tamarind functional beverage with artificial and natural non-nutritive sweeteners.

BACKGROUND: Tamarind pulp contains polyphenolic compounds that exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects with a positive impact on human health. The elaboration of a tamarind-based functional beverage, without the addition of sucrose, can be an alternative to traditional caloric beverages. This study aimed to evaluate the sensory profile and time intensity of a functional tamarind beverage containing artificial and natural non-nutritive sweeteners. RESULTS: The results of the acceptance test, check-all-that-apply, and time-intensity tests showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the means of samples sweetened with sucralose and samples sweetened with sucrose for attributes relating to appearance, aroma, flavor, or texture, or for overall impression. Samples with natural sweeteners had lower means for overall product impression and a lower percentage of purchase intention. The perception of astringency, bitter taste, and bitter aftertaste may be linked to the lower global impression of the product. The descriptors 'tamarind flavor' and 'refreshment sensation' were higher in products that were more liked. The sample sweetened with stevia showed higher levels of sweetness, bitterness, and longer sweet stimulus duration in the time-intensity test. CONCLUSION: The sample sweetened with sucralose was the best alternative to sucrose in the functional tamarind beverage. The analyzed sweeteners did not show changes in the perception of the natural characteristics of the fruit used, such as tamarind flavor, refreshment sensation, and astringency. However, the attributes related to sweet and bitter aftertaste experienced in samples with natural sweeteners may have influenced the reduction in the intention to purchase the product. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Does the indoor thermal environment influence the dominant sensation in a functional beverage attribute?

Different thermal environments can affect human productivity with repercussions on cognitive ability and physiological changes. However, the direct effect of room temperature on the sensations of food in the mouth during consumption is not yet well established. This study aimed to investigate the effect of indoor temperature on dominant sensations during intake of a beverage containing non-nutritive sweeteners. The temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) technique was used to evaluate seven functional beverages with different non-nutritive sweeteners. Sixty consumers participated in the test, attending 3 days of laboratory analysis with strictly controlled indoor temperatures (20, 24, and 26 °C). The indoor temperature affected the TDS curves of four functional beverages, with emphasis on the colder environment, which accentuated the sensation of bitter taste in the samples sweetened with stevia and neohesperidin. In the warmer environment, a TDS peak of fruit flavor was observed for the sucrose-sweetened sample, while the neotame-sweetened sample presented lower dominance rate for sweetness. The sensory performance of the samples sweetened with non-nutritive sweeteners, determined by the dominance rate of attributes, can change over time in different indoor temperatures. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Cold and warm environments can affect the consumer's decision to buy beverages, but the effect of the indoor temperature on the taste sensation of beverages has not been elucidated. The objective of this research was to evaluate whether the indoor temperature can affect the dominance of sensations during the consumption of a low-calorie beverage. The results showed that the cold environment prolonged the sensation of bitter taste in the beverages sweetened with natural sweeteners, which can help the nonalcoholic beverage industry to choose another type of sweetener, considering a new product sensory influence facto: room temperature.