Comparison of TCATA and TDS for dynamic sensory characterization of food products

Investigation of the multiple taste enhancement properties of N-succinyl-amino acids and their relationship to chemical structure using dynamic sensory techniques

The present study aimed to explore the similarity and difference in taste enhancement properties of N-succinyl-L-phenylalanine (N-Suc-Phe), N-succinyl-L-tryptophan (N-Suc-Trp), and N-succinyl-L-tyrosine (N-Suc-Tyr) using temporal dominance of sensations (TDS), temporal check-all-that-apply (TCATA), and time-intensity (TI) techniques. Meanwhile, leading taste enhancers in the market, such as N'-[(2,4-dimethoxyphenyl)methyl]-N-(2-pyridin-2-ylethyl) oxamide (DE) was chosen to conduct a comparative analysis with the aforementioned three compounds. Findings from TDS and TCATA revealed that all compounds under investigation notably enhanced umami and saltiness while reducing bitterness in a concentration-dependent fashion (0.25-1 mg/L). Additionally, the TI results indicated that the duration of umami was extended by 50-75%, and the duration of bitterness was decreased by 20-40% upon addition of DE, N-Suc-Phe, N-Suc-Trp, and N-Suc-Tyr (1 mg/L). Among these, N-Suc-Trp was identified as the most effective in augmenting umami and mitigating bitterness, whereas N-Suc-Tyr excelled in enhancing saltiness intensity. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) pinpointed the carbon‑carbon double bond as the important structure influencing the enhancement of umami and reduction of bitterness, whereas the phenolic hydroxyl group was identified as critical for enhancing saltiness. This investigation provided insights into the different characteristics of taste enhancement of N-Suc-AAs and the impact of chemical structure on such specificity.

Odor and taste characteristics, transduction mechanism, and perceptual interaction in fermented foods: a review

Fermentation is a critical technological process for flavor development in fermented foods. The combination of odor and taste, known as flavor, is crucial in enhancing people's perception and psychology toward fermented foods, thereby increasing their acceptance among consumers. This review summarized the determination and key flavor compound screening methods in fermented foods and analyzed the flavor perception, perceptual interactions, and evaluation methods. The flavor compounds in fermented foods could be separated, purified, and identified by instrument techniques, and a molecular sensory science approach could identify the key flavor compounds. How flavor compounds bind to their respective receptors determines flavor perception, which is influenced by their perceptual interactions, including odor-odor, taste-taste, and odor-taste. Evaluation methods of flavor perception mainly include human sensory evaluation, electronic sensors and biosensors, and neuroimaging techniques. Among them, the biosensor-based evaluation methods could facilitate the investigation of the flavor transduction mechanism and the neuroimaging technique could explain the brain's signals that relate to the perception of flavor and how they compare to signals from other senses. This review aims to elucidate the flavor profile of fermented foods and highlight the significance of comprehending the interactions between various flavor compounds, thus improving the healthiness and sensory attributes.

Quantitative descriptive analysis as a strategic tool in research activities relating to innovative meat tenderisation technologies

Sensory analysis plays a significant role in developing innovative technology from prototype to industrial stage, and above all, in the meat industry. The starting hypothesis is that the quantitative descriptive analysis is crucial to optimise an innovative process for tenderising meat before the scale-up stage because it provides information that instrumental and consumer science analyses cannot achieve. With this in mind, the present study describes the detailed protocol of the quantitative descriptive analysis, which was developed and optimised to contribute to the prototype development stage of new meat tenderising technology. This study applied the quantitative descriptive analysis to evaluate the sensory characteristics of semitendinosus beef meats submitted to the tenderising process by combining exogenous enzymes and ultra-sound radiation treatments. A correlation analysis was performed among sensory and instrumental data. A significant and negative correlation was found only among texture parameters evaluated by sensory and instrumental parameters (R > -0.81 and P < 0.05). Conversely, no significant correlation (P > 0.05) was found between sensory and instrumental chromatic characteristics. Moreover, the quantitative descriptive analysis was a valuable tool because it provided precious information on the appearance of the treated raw meat (score less than 6), which was not detected by instrumental analyses. This information is precious because the appearance of raw meat is fundamental to the consumer buying decision process. Based on the results obtained through sensory analysis, we could highlight the necessity of optimising technological processing before the industrialisation stage to avoid a probable failure of this production method when applied to the market.

Investigation into the Sensory Properties of Plant-Based Eggs, as Well as Acceptance, Emotional Response, and Use

Consumers have become interested in plant-based alternatives to animal-based products. One of the under-studied alternatives is plant-based eggs (PBEs). This research investigated PBEs relative to conventional eggs and tofu scramble-another plant-based alternative. Firstly, participants (n = 93) completed a word association task asking them about PBEs. Participants then evaluated the different food samples using hedonic scales, check-all-that-apply (CATA), and temporal check-all-that-apply (TCATA), as well as identified their emotional response and proposed use for PBEs. Participants were interested in plant-based alternatives, including PBEs, but they were concerned about the sensory properties. When they evaluated the different samples, the flavour and texture of the PBEs were disliked in comparison to the eggs. This result may be due to the beany, bitterness, and off-flavour attributes associated with the PBEs. Participants also associated the PBEs with negative emotions. The liking of tofu scramble was not significantly different from the eggs, and the eggs and tofu scramble were mainly associated with positive emotions. During the TCATA evaluation, the participants focused on the flavour attributes of PBEs, while their evaluation of the eggs was dominated by the textural attributes. Whether following a plant-based diet or not, consumers are interested in PBEs, but the sensory properties of PBEs need to be improved before they are willing to adopt them into their diet. This study is one of the first to evaluate the sensory properties of PBEs, as well as consumers' emotional response to them and their attitudes about PBEs.

Application of multiple-intake temporal check all that apply: a case study of strawberry yoghurt formulated with alternative sweeteners

BACKGROUND

It is crucial to reduce the high sugar content of fruit yoghurts in response to the excessive weight gain epidemic. The use of alternative sweeteners in yoghurts is often associated with the negative sensory attributes that can have an impact on yoghurt liking. The main objective of this research was to investigate the effect of alternative sweeteners and strawberry puree addition on the temporal sensory profile of yoghurt using multiple-intake temporal check all that apply (TCATA). A novel approach to the statical analysis of the temporal sensory data was employed by using aligned rank transformation-analysis of variance to investigate the differences between sensory attributes within different products and within different intakes.

RESULTS

Results showed that the attributes sweet and fruity decreased when the concentration of fruit puree was increased at low concentration of sucrose. Interestingly, when the concentration of fruit puree was increased, fruitiness increased and mouthcoating decreased at low concentration of stevia. With successive intakes, the attributes sweet, sour, creamy and fruity significantly decreased in yoghurts sweetened with sucrose, xylitol and stevia. Yoghurts containing low concentrations of sucrose or xylitol and fruit puree were liked the most. However, stevia-sweetened yoghurts varying in sweetener and puree concentration were not significantly different in liking. In order to investigate the consumer acceptance of yoghurts, a novel approach was used - that is, utilizing TCATA temporal data to investigate temporal drivers of liking for each yoghurt type.

CONCLUSION

The use of multiple statistical analysis to analyse temporal data suggested that both sweetener and puree concentration need to be considered when developing products using alternative sweeteners. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

A consumer evaluation of salt-reduced tomato soup and vegetable juice made with grape pomace

Obesity and obesity-related illness have become an increasingly prevalent problem and there is a critical need to combat this by reducing sugar, salt, and fat consumption. Due to this concern, the food industry has been developing salt-reduced foods, however, these products need to maintain their sensory appeal and flavors, which has proven to be a challenge. Grape pomace (GP), the solids left after pressing grapes for winemaking and consisting of grape seeds and skins, has been proposed as an environmentally friendly solution that can enhance the acceptability of salt-reduced food products. However, GP is associated with a large number of flavor compounds. As such, the objective of this research is to investigate the acceptability of GP addition in salt-reduced foods. Two trials were conducted using hedonic scales and temporal check-all-that-apply (TCATA) to evaluate tomato soup (n = 88) and vegetable juice (n = 99). Each trial included a control and sample containing grape pomace. The addition of the GP decreased the consumers' overall liking and the liking of the flavor, as well as increasing consumers' perception of saltiness intensity. The samples made with GP were associated with bitterness, sourness, and wine flavor during the TCATA evaluations. The study identified that GP increased saltiness perception, however, it also adds other flavors to the food product, which decreased the acceptability of the food items. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: There is a consumer demand to create salt-reduced foods that do not have altered sensory properties. Furthermore, consumers are interested in sustainable and environmentally friendly ingredients. Grape pomace is a byproduct of the wine industry and has been proposed as an ingredient that can increase the saltiness perception of food products. Grape pomace was added to tomato soup and vegetable juice to evaluate its effect on consumer acceptability and saltiness perception. The grape pomace did increase saltiness perception, but also added bitterness, sourness, and wine flavor to the food products.

Dynamic Instrumental and Sensory Methods Used to Link Aroma Release and Aroma Perception: A Review

Perception of flavor is a dynamic process during which the concentration of aroma molecules at the olfactory epithelium varies with time as they are released progressively from the food in the mouth during consumption. The release kinetics depends on the food matrix itself but also on food oral processing, such as mastication behavior and food bolus formation with saliva, for which huge inter-individual variations exist due to physiological differences. Sensory methods such as time intensity (TI) or the more-recent methods temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) and temporal check-all-that-apply (TCATA) are used to account for the dynamic and time-related aspects of flavor perception. Direct injection mass spectrometry (DIMS) techniques that measure in real time aroma compounds directly in the nose (nosespace), aimed at obtaining data that reflect the pattern of aroma release in real time during food consumption and supposed to be representative of perception, have been developed over the last 25 years. Examples obtained with MS operated in chemical ionization mode at atmospheric or sub-atmospheric pressure (atmospheric pressure chemical ionization APCI or proton-transfer reaction PTR) are given, with emphases on studies conducted with simultaneous dynamic sensory evaluation. Inter-individual variations in terms of aroma release and their relevance for understanding flavor perception are discussed as well as the evidenced cross-modal interactions.

The Impact of Fermentation Temperature and Cap Management on Selected Volatile Compounds and Temporal Sensory Characteristics of Grenache Wines from the Central Coast of California

Grenache wines from the Central Coast of California were subjected to different alcoholic fermentation temperature regimes (Cold, Cold/Hot, Hot) and cap management protocols, namely, punch down (PD), or no punch down (No PD), to determine the effect of these practices on the color, aroma, and the retronasal and mouthfeel sensory characteristics of the resulting wines. Descriptive analysis (n = 8, line scale rating 0-15) results indicated that the combination of a hot fermentation temperature and no punch downs led to a significantly higher intensity in perceived color saturation (7.89) and purple hue (8.62). A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that cap management was significantly more impactful on the perception of orthonasal aromas than fermentation temperature. The reduction aroma was significantly higher in No PD wines (5.02) compared to PD wines (3.50), while rose and hot aromas had significantly higher intensity perception for PD wines (5.18, 6.80) than for No PD wines (6.80, 6.14). Conversely, analysis of selected volatile compounds indicated that fermentation temperature was more impactful than cap management regime. Cold/Hot wines had higher concentrations of important esters such as ethyl hexanoate (650 µg/L) and isoamyl acetate (992 µg/L). Cold wines had a higher concentration of β-damascenone (0.719 µg/L). TCATA evaluation (n = 8) indicated that Cold/Hot PD wines had a significantly higher citation proportion of fruit flavor (1.0) and velvet astringency perception (0.80) without significant reduction flavors. Finally, the present study represents a contribution with the main volatile compounds (e.g., β-damascenone and esters in the Cold and Cold/Hot fermented wines, respectively; hexanol in PD wines, which may be potentially responsible for a hot mouthfeel), and sensory characteristics (red fruit, tropical fruit, white pepper, and rose) of Grenache wines grown in the Mediterranean climate of the Central Coast of California.

Dynamic Zanthoxylum pungency characteristics and their correlation with sanshool composition and chemical structure

Huajiao (Zanthoxylum) from different regions varies in pungency features. The objective of this study was to explore the reasons for the differences. Temporal check-all-that-apply (TCATA) and time-intensity (TI)) were used to determine time-related pungency features of huajiao and sanshools. The compositions of sanshools in huajiao were measured by high-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC). TI results revealed that hydroxy-γ-sanshool tingling and numbing duration (1332.00 ± 50.91 and 1020.00 ± 61.19 s, respectively) were about twice that of hydroxy-α-sanshool (720.00 ± 25.92 and 584.00 ± 22.63 s, respectively). Tingling and numbing were not perceived by hydroxy-β-sanshool and hydroxy-γ-isosanshool. HPLC results showed that HαSS was the main component of huajiao sanshools, representing 71.06 % to 92.90 %. TCATA results revealed the pungency sensations appearance sequence: tingling, salivating, cooling, and burning appeared first, followed by vibrating, and numbing was perceived last. These findings revealed the relationship between the compositions of sanshool and the pungency features of huajiao.

A Prospective Review of the Sensory Properties of Plant-Based Dairy and Meat Alternatives with a Focus on Texture

Consumers are interested in plant-based alternatives (PBAs) to dairy and meat products, and as such, the food industry is responding by developing a variety of different plant-based food items. For these products to be successful, their textural properties must be acceptable to consumers. These textural properties need to be thoroughly investigated using different sensory methodologies to ensure consumer satisfaction. This review paper aims to summarize the various textural properties of PBAs, as well as to discuss the sensory methodologies that can be used in future studies of PBAs. PBAs to meat have been formulated using a variety of production technologies, but these products still have textural properties that differ from animal-based products. Most dairy and meat alternatives attempt to mimic their conventional counterparts, yet sensory trials rarely compare the PBAs to their meat or dairy counterparts. While most studies rely on consumers to investigate the acceptability of their products' textural properties, future studies should include dynamic sensory methodologies, and attribute diagnostics questions to help product developers characterize the key sensory properties of their products. Studies should also indicate whether the product is meant to mimic a conventional product and should define the target consumer segment (ex. flexitarian, vegan) for the product. The importance of textural properties to PBAs is repeatedly mentioned in the literature and thus should be thoroughly investigated using robust sensory methodologies.

A Timely Application-Temporal methods, past, present, and future

Eating is a dynamic experience, and temporal sensory methods have been proposed to document how products change over the course of consumption or use (nonfood). A search of online databases yielded approximately 170 sources related to temporal evaluation of food products that were compiled and reviewed. This review summarizes the evolution of temporal methodologies (past), offers guidance in selecting appropriate methods (present), and provides insights into the future of temporal methodologies in the sensory space. Temporal methods have evolved to document a variety of characteristics in food products including how the intensity of a specific attribute changes over time (Time-Intensity), which specific attribute is dominant at each time during evaluation (Temporal Dominance of Sensations), which attributes are present at each time point during evaluation (Temporal Check-All-That-Apply), and many others (Temporal Order of Sensations, Attack-Evolution-Finish, and Temporal Ranking). In addition to documenting the evolution of temporal methods, this review considers the selection of an appropriate temporal method based on the objective and scope of research. When choosing a temporal method, researchers should also consider the selection of panelists to perform the temporal evaluation. Future temporal research should focus on validation of new temporal methods and explore how methods can be implemented and improved to add to the usefulness of temporal techniques for researchers.

Recent trends in aroma release and perception during food oral processing: A review

The dynamic and complex peculiarities of the oral environment present several challenges for controlling the aroma release during food consumption. They also pose higher requirements for designing food with better sensory quality. This requires a comprehensive understanding of the basic rules of aroma transmission and aroma perception during food oral processing and its behind mechanism. This review summarized the latest developments in aroma release from food to retronasal cavity, aroma release and delivery influencing factors, aroma perception mechanisms. The individual variance is the most important factor affecting aroma release and perception. Therefore, the intelligent chewing simulator is the key to establish a standard analytical method. The key odorants perceived from the retronasal cavity should be given more attention during food oral processing. Identification of the olfactory receptor activated by specific odorants and its binding mechanisms are still the bottleneck. Electrophysiology and image technology are the new noninvasive technologies in elucidating the brain signals among multisensory, which can fill the gap between aroma perception and other senses. Moreover, it is necessary to develop a new approach to integrate the relationship among aroma binding parameters, aroma concentration, aroma attributes and cross-modal reactions to make the aroma prediction model more accurate.

Musical and Non-Musical Sounds Influence the Flavour Perception of Chocolate Ice Cream and Emotional Responses

Auditory cues, such as real-world sounds or music, influence how we perceive food. The main aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of negatively and positively valenced mixtures of musical and non-musical sounds on the affective states of participants and their perception of chocolate ice cream. Consuming ice cream while listening to liked music (LM) and while listening to the combination of liked music and pleasant sound (LMPS) conditions gave rise to more positive emotions than listening to just pleasant sound (PS). Consuming ice cream during the LM condition resulted in the longest duration of perceived sweetness. On the other hand, PS and LMPS conditions resulted in cocoa dominating for longer. Bitterness and roasted were dominant under the disliked music and unpleasant sound (DMUS) and DM conditions respectively. Positive emotions correlated well with the temporal sensory perception of sweetness and cocoa when consuming chocolate ice cream under the positively valenced auditory conditions. In contrast, negative emotions were associated with bitter and roasted tastes/flavours under the negatively valenced auditory conditions. The combination of pleasant music and non-musical sound conditions evoked more positive emotions than when either was presented in isolation. Taken together, the results of this study support the view that sensory attributes correlated well with emotions evoked when consuming ice cream under different auditory conditions varying in terms of their valence.

Temporal Sensory Profiles of Regular and Sodium-Reduced Foods Elicited by Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) and Temporal Check-All-That-Apply (TCATA)

Temporal sensory methods can be used to highlight the impact of sodium reduction on the dynamic sensory profile of foods targeted for sodium reduction. Study aims were to compare the temporal sensory attribute profiles of regular and sodium-reduced food products elicited by TDS and TCATA, over single and multiple oral intakes. A total of 20 semi-trained participants evaluated commercially available regular and sodium-reduced canned corn, cooked ham (single intakes), potato chips and cream of mushroom soup (5 intakes) using both TDS and TCATA. Regular and sodium-reduced products differed in not only salty but also other sensory attributes, noticeably dry for chips, sweet for corn, bitter and metallic for ham, thick, creamy, sweet, and starchy for soup. TDS and TCATA provided comparable information for the key sensory attributes characterizing and differentiating the regular and sodium-reduced products. TDS profiled significant differences between samples for a larger number of attributes than TCATA, while TCATA profiles were more consistent across intakes. Multiple intakes changed the duration of attribute dominance but not the number of significantly dominant attributes in TDS profiles. The current findings provide insight for applications of temporal profiling to other food products and development of sodium-reduced foods with attribute profiles acceptable to consumers.

Bootstrap Resampling of Temporal Dominance of Sensations Curves to Compute Uncertainties

In the last decade, temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) methods have proven to be potent approaches in the field of food sciences. Accordingly, thus far, methods for analyzing TDS curves, which are the major outputs of TDS methods, have been developed. This study proposes a method of bootstrap resampling for TDS tasks. The proposed method enables the production of random TDS curves to estimate the uncertainties, that is, the 95% confidence interval and standard error of the curves. Based on Monte Carlo simulation studies, the estimated uncertainties are considered valid and match those estimated by approximated normal distributions with the number of independent TDS tasks or samples being 50-100 or greater. The proposed resampling method enables researchers to apply statistical analyses and machine-learning approaches that require a large sample size of TDS curves.

Sensory Analysis and Consumer Research in New Meat Products Development

This review summarises the main sensory methods (traditional techniques and the most recent ones) together with consumer research as a key part in the development of new products, particularly meat products. Different types of sensory analyses (analytical and affective), from conventional methods (Quantitative Descriptive Analysis) to new rapid sensory techniques (Check All That Apply, Napping, Flash Profile, Temporal Dominance of Sensations, etc.) have been used as crucial techniques in new product development to assess the quality and marketable feasibility of the novel products. Moreover, an important part of these new developments is analysing consumer attitudes, behaviours, and emotions, in order to understand the complex consumer–product interaction. In addition to implicit and explicit methodologies to measure consumers’ emotions, the analysis of physiological responses can also provide information of the emotional state a food product can generate. Virtual reality is being used as an instrument to take sensory analysis out of traditional booths and configure conditions that are more realistic. This review will help to better understand these techniques and to facilitate the choice of the most appropriate at the time of its application at the different stages of the new product development, particularly on meat products.

Characterizing the Dynamic Taste and Retro-Nasal Aroma Properties of Oral Nutritional Supplements Using Temporal Dominance of Sensation and Temporal Check-All-That-Apply Methods

Orally Disintegrating Tablets (ODTs) are used to restore the nutritional status of people suffering from swallowing pathologies such as dysphagia. ODTs are consumed without water intake and are easily swallowed. The main active compounds of ODTs are vitamins and minerals. These nutrients can have a bad taste or aftertaste, which can be masked by sweetening or flavoring. To ensure the effectiveness of masking strategies and to prescribe a product to patients with acceptable sensory qualities, it is essential to perform a precise and complete sensory characterization of these ODTs. Temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) and temporal check-all-that-apply (TCATA) methods were chosen to characterize the temporal sensory perceptions during the consumption of four ODTs varying in galenic forms and flavoring because of their particularly acute temporality in flavor perception. The ODTs presented common and individual sensory properties, mainly related to their galenic form and to the nature of the active ingredients. The use of a nose-clip to stop retro-nasal airflow showed that flavoring had a minimal impact on the sensory taste qualities of the ODTs. A comparison between the TDS and TCATA results indicates that these tests are capable of providing complementary information on the dynamic sensory qualities of the products studied. Although results were generally similar for both methods, TDS showed a greater number of differences in sensory taste attribute, whereas TCATA was more discriminating. These methods allowed for a better understanding of the evolution of sensory perceptions of these ODTs during their consumption, which could help to optimize masking strategies and develop new products with acceptable sensory properties.

Sensory methods applied to the development of probiotic and prebiotic foods

Food containing probiotics and prebiotics is one of the top-selling functional foods around the world. For the foods containing probiotics and prebiotics to be successful, their inclusion can not detract from a consumers' liking of the food product or impart negative sensory properties in the food product. Sensory analysis must be completed to ensure the inclusion of prebiotics and probiotics does not detract from the food item. Sensory analysis allows food product developers to make educated decisions and evaluate the sensory properties of new food products, including functional foods containing probiotics and prebiotics. Additionally, food product developers need a clear understanding of which method or technique should be used based on the objective of the testing, experimental design, validity and reliability of the method. This chapter focuses on the importance of sensory evaluation techniques in the development of functional food containing prebiotics and probiotics. Examples of sensory methodologies and their application to the production of food containing probiotics and prebiotics will be presented.

Dulce de leche submitted to ohmic heating treatment: Consumer sensory profile using preferred attribute elicitation (PAE) and temporal check-all-that-apply (TCATA)

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the application of ohmic heating (OH) to milk (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 V cm^-1, 72-75 °C/15 s) on the sensory profiling of dulce de leche (DL) evaluated using preferred attribute elicitation (PAE) and temporal Check-all-that-apply (TCATA) methodologies. In addition a consumer test was also performed. OH-DL samples presented increased scores for all the sensory attributes evaluated. Low or intermediate strength electric fields contributed to increase bitter taste and decrease DL aroma and sweet taste of the products, without impact on the overall liking. When high strength electric fields were applied, higher brightness, fluidity and DL flavor scores were observed, as well as, lower intensities in consistency and sandiness scores, resulting in increased acceptance by consumers. From TCATA data, it could be observed that the perception of all sensory attributes increased as well as increased the strength of the electric fields. Overall, the adoption of electric fields with higher strength in ohmic heating during DL processing is advised, since they improved the intensity and perception of desirable intrinsic DL sensory attributes as well as improved DL overall liking.

Role of sweeteners on temporality and bar hardening of protein bars

Protein bars are one product that meet consumer demands for a low-carbohydrate, high-protein food. With such a large market for protein bars, producers need to find the correct texture and sweetness levels to satisfy consumers while still delivering a high-protein, low-carbohydrate bar. In the bar industry, bar hardening is a major concern, and currently the effects of non-nutritive sweeteners on bar hardening is unknown. Due to the negative implications of bar hardening, it is important to investigate the sweetener-protein relationship with bar hardening. The objective of this study was to characterize the effects of sweetener and protein source on flavor, texture, and shelf life of high-protein, low-carbohydrate bars. The iso-sweet concentration of sweeteners (sucralose, sucrose, monk fruit, stevia, and fructose) in pea protein (PP), milk protein (MP) and whey protein isolate (WPI) bars were established using magnitude estimation scaling and 2-alternative forced-choice testing. Descriptive analysis and temporal check-all-that-apply methods were then applied to determine flavor and temporal differences between the protein bars. Finally, an accelerated shelf life study was completed to understand how sweetener and protein types affect the shelf life of protein bars. The 15 protein bars formulated at iso-sweet concentration were all stored at 35°C and 55% humidity for 35 d, and measurements were taken every 7 d, beginning at d 1 (d 1, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35). Bars made with MP required significantly less sweetener, compared with PP and WPI, to reach equal sweetness. Bars sweetened with stevia or monk fruit had distinct bitter and metallic tastes, and sucralose had a low metallic taste. Bars made with WPI were the most cohesive, and PP and WPI bars were more bitter and metallic compared with MP bars. Bars made with WPI and fructose were initially the hardest, but after d 14 they scored at parity with PP sucrose. There were no significant differences among bars in terms of hardness by d 21. Bars made with WPI were consistently denser at all time points than bars made with PP or MP. Bars made with PP were the driest and least cohesive and had the fastest rate of breakdown in the study. Non-nutritive sweeteners did not have a negative effect on bar hardness in low-carbohydrate, high-protein bars. Findings from this study can be applied to commercially produced protein bars for naturally sweetened bars with different protein types without negative effects on protein bar texture.

Cross-modal interactions as a strategy for sugar reduction in products targeted at children: Case study with vanilla milk desserts

The high availability of products with high sugar content, particularly among those targeted as children, has been identified as one of the factors that contribute to the childhood obesity epidemic. For this reason, product reformulation has been recommended as one of the strategies that can be implemented to achieve short-term reductions in children's sugar intake. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using cross-modal (taste-odor-texture) interactions as a strategy for reducing the sugar content of products targeted at children, using milk desserts as case study. A series of 5 vanilla milk desserts were formulated: a control sample with 12% added sugar and 4 sugar-reduced samples (7% added sugar) prepared following a 2 × 2 experimental design by varying vanilla (0.4% and 0.6% w/w) and starch (4.3% and 4.7% w/w) concentrations. A total of 112 children (8-12 years old) tasted the desserts and performed a dynamic sensory characterization task using either temporal check-all-that-apply or temporal dominance of sensations. In addition, they assessed the overall liking of all samples. Results showed that sugar-reduced samples did not significantly differ from the control sample in terms of their average overall liking scores. However, individual differences in children's hedonic reaction were found; three clusters of children with distinctive liking patterns were identified. The increase in vanilla and starch concentration led to an increase in overall liking for over 80% of the children. Sensory dynamic profiles revealed significant but subtle differences among samples. Results from the present work suggest that cross-modal interactions could contribute to minimizing the sensory changes caused by sugar reduction, which could enable to achieve larger reductions if implemented in the context of gradual sugar reduction programs.

Temporal Check-All-That-Apply (TCATA) Reveals Matrix Interaction Effects on Flavor Perception in a Model Wine Matrix

Traditionally, the sensory properties of wine were characterized using a trained panel and descriptive analysis (DA)-a static sensory evaluation method. As wine is a complex mixture, with evolving sensory properties, a way to capture these changes is needed in order to fully describe the sensory experience of wine perception. In this study, temporal check-all-that-apply (TCATA), a dynamic sensory evaluation method, was used to characterize model wine samples reminiscent of a white, hybrid wine. Twelve model wines varied in levels of ethanol, glycerol, and caffeic acid, representing commercial levels in Pennsylvania. Samples were evaluated for up to three minutes by a trained TCATA panel (n = 12) for flavor, taste, and mouthfeel attributes. In general, the experimental factors, ethanol and glycerol, along with interactions between factors, had the greatest temporal effects, with significant differences in flavor attributes occurring within the first 30 seconds of evaluation, while taste and mouthfeel attributes showed significant differences throughout the evaluation period. Overall, ethanol had the greatest impact on temporal wine perception. The findings of this study further suggest that a temporal evaluation method, like TCATA, should be paired with DA to completely characterize a complex and evolving sample. Further, changes in wine matrix components affect sensory perception both in direct and indirect ways-the latter indicated by taste-taste suppression and cross-modal interaction effects.

Sensory product characterisations based on check-all-that-apply questions: Further insights on how the static (CATA) and dynamic (TCATA) approaches perform

Check-all-that-apply (CATA) questions have become one of the most popular methods for sensory characterisation with consumers. Temporal CATA (TCATA) is an extension of the former that takes into account the dynamic nature of sensory perception. The aim of the present work was to expand the methodological comparison of CATA and TCATA questions, considering the characterisation of solid products that undergo substantial oral processing when consumed. Five studies involving a total of 731 consumers were conducted with different product categories: dried apricots, peas, cheese, bread and milk chocolate. A between-subjects experimental design was used to compare the static and dynamic versions of CATA questions. For comparison purposes, TCATA data were analysed as CATA by collapsing the data into four fixed time intervals (quarters). The four quarters of TCATA were compared to results from CATA considering the frequency of use of the terms, sample discrimination, and product configurations. The temporal aspect of TCATA did not largely modify the average citation proportion of terms or the maximum citation proportion for individual terms. Significant differences among samples were established for most of the terms in both CATA and TCATA evaluations, albeit some subtle differences between the two methods were found. These differences were dependent on the product category and the specific sensory characteristics that were relevant for describing the focal samples. The largest differences were found for Study 5 (milk chocolate), for which TCATA identified a few additional insights on the evolution of similarities and differences among samples. However, in most cases general findings were virtually identical for both methodological approaches. In light of these results, the extra effort of using a dynamic sensory characterisation method compared to a static one, may, in many instances, not be warranted.