Exploring sensory methodologies to evaluate flavor addition in reduced-sucrose semi-solid foods- ORIGINAL DATA
Description
This dataset contains the raw sensory data supporting the study “Exploring sensory methodologies to evaluate flavor addition in reduced-sucrose semi-solid foods.” The study investigated how different sensory methodologies influence the detection and interpretation of perceptual changes associated with sucrose reduction and fruity flavor addition in semi-solid food systems. Two fruit pie filling matrices, pineapple and passion fruit, were evaluated. For each product, an original formulation containing 29.6% sucrose was compared with formulations containing 20% and 25% sucrose reduction (23.7% and 22.2% sucrose, respectively). Reduced-sucrose samples were tested either without flavoring or with fruit flavoring added at two concentrations (0.018 and 0.035%). The study compared sensory methods that differ in their cognitive demands and evaluation strategies, including both directed approaches that focus on specific sensory attributes and undirected approaches that assess global perceptual differences. The dataset includes individual participant responses obtained from: Two-alternative forced-choice (2-AFC) discrimination tests, unspecified tetrad discrimination tests, ranking tests and descriptive analysis performed by a trained sensory panel. The 2-AFC tests evaluated specific sensory attributes, including sweetness, fruit flavor intensity, sourness (passion fruit), and overall intensity (pineapple). The tetrad test measured overall perceptual discrimination without specifying the sensory attribute responsible for the observed differences. Ranking tests assessed the relative intensity of sweetness and fruit flavor among formulations, while descriptive analysis provided attribute intensity ratings generated by trained assessors. The dataset enables the comparison of analytical sensory approaches, which require assessors to evaluate specific attributes, with more synthetic approaches that promote holistic product evaluation. It can be used to investigate how sensory methodology influences the characterization of aroma–taste interactions, perceptual discrimination, and product reformulation outcomes in reduced-sugar foods. Results reported in the associated publication showed that conclusions regarding the effects of flavor addition varied according to the sensory methodology employed. The dataset therefore provides a resource for research on sensory methodology, analytical and synthetic processing, aroma–taste interactions, cross-modal perception, discrimination testing, and sugar reduction strategies in foods.
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Institutions
- Universidad de Costa RicaSan José, San José